Night Owl Farm
by Scultone
Summary: Cecilia Reed flees Zuzu city in the first impulsive decision she's ever made in her life; running off and starting a new life is for the desperate and immature, not the ever in control, hot shot budget analyst of Joja Co. And while Pelican Town seems provincial compared to the big city she gets far more than she bargained for in the form of men and supernatural presences.
1. A Fresh Start

Cecilia heaved out a sigh of relief as she settled into her seat on the bus, despite facing down a four hour trip. It was final, she couldn't go back to Zuzu now. She let her head rest against the window as the bus pulled out of the station and made for the highway. It was as if an enormous weight had been lifted off of her chest and for the first time in a long time she could take a deep breath. She tightened her grip on her bus ticket to Stardew Valley and the envelope bequeathed to her by her grandfather, containing a letter and a deed.

"If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change."

Her mouth quirked into a sardonic smile, that would be one way to put it. A sense of serenity began to wash over her as the scenery changed from urban to rural and dense woods closed in around the road. The increasing distance between her and Zuzu city actually made quitting her corporate job and abandoning everything to take over her deceased grandfather's farm in a small town seem less insane. Anything to get away from it all. Gradually, she dozed off, the humming of the bus lulling her to sleep. A few hours later she jolted awake and cleared her eyes just in time to see a green highway sign that read "Stardew Valley 0.5 miles." She gathered up her backpack and stuffed the letter and ticket in the front pocket.

The bus exited the highway and onto a small road. Cecilia's heart started beating faster and harder, and for the next ten minutes studied the forest rushing by. With a lurch, the bus stopped and Cecilia jumped to her feet. She took her duffle bag off the rack and slung it over her shoulders before grabbing both suitcases and disembarking from the bus. The scent of wildflowers hit her the second her foot touched the pavement along with the whine of cicadas and chirping of songbirds. She blinked rapidly, trying to adjust her eyes to the setting sun.

"Cecilia Reed?" a woman asked.

"That would be me," she replied.

A middle aged woman with ginger hair and practical clothes extended her hand to Cecilia and gave her a firm handshake.

"I'm Robin. Mayor Lewis sent me to show you to the farm."

"That'd be great," she replied, having never seen the farm, let alone been to Pelican Town before.

"It's just up the road. Do you need help with your bags?"

"No, I've got it. Thanks though."

Cecilia followed Robin to an east west running dirt road and turned into the sunset.

"Town is right down the road the other way," Robin said, gesturing behind them. "It's not very big but there's quite a bit to do."

Cecilia just nodded, unable to focus on anything besides the farm - her property - getting closer and closer. They passed a weathered, wooden sign that read "Night Owl Farm," and then they were there. Cecilia stopped, letting her eyes slowly sweep over the land that she could now call her own.

It was a disaster. Thick woods consumed the northernmost area and dense shrubbery and grass covered the south. Huge boulders and fallen trees littered the entire section she could see. A destroyed building of some kind lay just beyond the rundown cabin in front of them.

"Oh, well, that's… going to take quite a bit of work."

"You can say that again," Robin said. "But there is some good soil beneath it all."

Cecilia wasn't sure what she had been expecting but she wasn't particularly surprised. Grandpa had passed away when she was a child, nearly fifteen years ago, of course, the farm would be a wreck. But it was so bad. She'd be lucky if she got any crops planted before spring ended. Robin walked up the three stairs onto the porch of the cabin before knocking on the wooden wall.

"The cabin has held up pretty well though, just by the look of it. Could use a bit of a patch job though."

Surprisingly, all of the windows were intact and the damage was limited to some chipped planks and a hole in the porch by the empty firewood stall. Then, an older man with a gray mustache emerged and closed the door behind him.

"Ah, Cecilia! So good to see you! I hope you had a good trip, it's quite the journey out here."

She shrugged, "it was uneventful."

"I'm Mayor Lewis," he said, giving her a handshake.

"Nice to meet you."

"Everyone in town is asking about you, it's not every day that someone new moves in. It's quite a big deal!"

"Everyone?" She asked, trying to squash the nervousness in her voice.

"Of course! Several of them knew your grandfather, even. They'll be excited to see the Reed family return to Stardew Valley. You're a part of its history."

Cecilia didn't know how to respond. She'd seen herself as an outsider coming into the town, she'd never considered that the residents would view her as a part of Pelican Town in any way.

"The house seems to be in good shape still," Lewis said. "It's very rustic."

Robin scoffed, "rustic? That's one way to put it. Crusty might be more apt."

Cecilia chuckled but Lewis glared at Robin.

"Don't listen to her, she's just trying to make you dissatisfied so that you buy one of her house upgrades."

"Lewis!" Robin exclaimed but didn't have a follow-up.

"Anyway, you must be tired from the long journey. You should get some rest."

"Yeah, I will," she said, her eyes wandering out to the derelict field.

Silence fell over them for a moment as they examined the wreck of a property, Robin eyeing the cabin and Lewis and Cecilia trying to picture the disaster before them as a functional farm. Lewis having significantly more luck, having seen the place when it was at its best.

"Oh, before I forget," Lewis said, walking over to the large, wooden box next to the house. "I can take anything you want to sell to Pierre's at the end of the day from here in my truck. No sense in you lugging your crops into town on foot."

"You'd do that?" Cecilia asked.

"Of course, your grandfather and I had the same arrangement," Lewis replied.

"Um, sure, that would be great."

Was that something that people just did around here? She half expected him to whip out a stack of contracts for her to sign and then haggle over payment. But he didn't, that was the end of it. Robin must have been able to sense her shock and confusion and put a hand on her shoulder.

"This is a pretty tight-knit town, you should try to get out and meet everyone soon. I'm sure they'd love to meet you," she said with a comforting smile.

"Everyone?" she asked again, dumbly.

Lewis chuckled. "It's not exactly a large town."

"That it is not," Robin added.

Cecilia scuffed the dirt with the toe of her shoe. "I'll definitely try."

"Well, I'm sure you want to get settled and poke around without us breathing down your neck," Robin said. "If you take the path north of your property, I'm about a mile away. Don't hesitate to come by if you need anything."

"Of course, thank you," she replied, not sure how else to reply to such a motherly comment.

"Well... good luck!" Lewis said.

With that, Lewis and Robin left, leaving Cecilia alone with her property. She probably should get some rest, but the compulsion to get something done ate at her, especially with all those weeds and rocks lying around. She opened the cabin door and was overcome with the smell of stagnant air and mothballs. The inside was in slightly better condition than the outside, a little worn but nothing extreme. She set her bags down and began looking around. There was a bed, an old box tv, a fireplace, and a chair. Bare bones but it did actually have a rustic charm to it. After walking further inside she noticed a chest tucked beside the fireplace. Inside was several old farm tools that seemed functional after a few test swings.

"Thank you, Grandpa," she said, glad that she wasn't starting completely empty handed.

She turned back to start unpacking and noticed a small, wrapped box sitting just inside the door. A tag stuck off the top with a note that read 'here's a little something to get you started - Mayor Lewis.' Inside were fifteen packets of parsnip seeds. She hadn't even been to Pelican Town proper yet and she was already experiencing that fabled small town hospitality. Now with a clear task at hand, she grabbed her tools, pocketed the seeds and went back outside.  
Only fifteen seeds didn't require a ton of space but everywhere was covered in weeds, rocks, and branches. She took the hoe and attacked an area twenty feet from her front door, tilling the top twelve inches of soil, just like all the farming books said. After planting the seeds she made a pass with her watering can.

The sun was almost entirely below the horizon when she finished, the impending darkness was probably the only thing keeping her from putting in more work. The sounds of crickets filled the air and a slight chill crept in. She could no longer see across the whole field and she had to admit it was a little creepy, just her with all of this empty space that anything could hide in. She shuddered before gathering her tools and going back inside. The house really wasn't any less eerie with night setting in and the only lighting coming from a floor lamp. But there was a sense of calm about it all. The horrors here were strictly imagined.

She peeled out of her clothes and grabbed her toiletry bag and a towel before heading for the bathroom.  
Maybe I should have checked the water heater before taking all my clothes off.

She turned the knob on the shower, which would need a thorough scrubbing, and after a moment of air being forced out of the pipes, warm water sprayed out. A quick shower later, she was tucked into bed, consumed by the stale smelling sheets. She made a mental note to buy new ones tomorrow.

The house creaked and groaned as it settled, regardless, Cecilia started to wind down, sleepiness washing over her. Being alone was nice, just worrying about herself. She contemplated which crops she'd buy tomorrow as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning she awoke with a jolt, heart pounding. A nightmare slipped through her memory like water in a sieve. It took a second, but she realized she wasn't in her apartment in Zuzu, she was in the cabin at Night Owl Farm. Still alone. She sighed and leaned back against the headboard, letting her heart rate return to normal. Her watch read 5:30 a.m., waking up early wasn't the worst habit to retain from working for Joja. She rolled out of bed, ready to get outside as soon as possible. After brushing her teeth and eating bagel, she put on her boots, pants and a button up shirt and marched out the front door.

The first order of business was to clean up all of the debris scattered around; rocks, branches, weeds. She poked around the back of the house, looking for anything that could help and came across a rusty wheelbarrow.

"Nice!"

She dragged the wheelbarrow out to the field and parked it by the parsnip crop.

"Time to get to work," she said.

She worked up a decent sweat by the time the space was clear and was dripping by the time she got the thicket of pine trees chopped down. Her chest swelled with pride at how much she had accomplished before noon. But she immediately deflated once she realized her workflow was about to be interrupted by the need to go into town and buy more seeds. If Lewis was to be believed, the townspeople were excited to meet her which would likely eat the rest of the day. She shook her head, if she was truly committed to living in Pelican Town she couldn't be negative about meeting all the locals. Lewis and Robin were plenty nice, no reason to think the other residents couldn't be like them.

After a quick shower and change of clothes she found herself marching towards town. She had no idea how much seeds went for so she brought what was probably an excessive amount of cash. The dirt road changed suddenly to a cobblestone street lined with lamps. Through the trees emerged a line of shops and a paved square. She noted a clinic, Pierre's General Store, and The Stardrop Saloon in the immediate vicinity. A group of three young adults, probably around her age stood in the square, talking. The guy with the spiky, blond hair noticed her and waved.  
"Hey! You must be the new farmer!"

"Yeah, that'd be me," Cecilia said, walking over to them. "I'm Cecilia."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sam," he said. "And this is Abigail and Sebastian."

The other two gave her polite waves.

"Have you seen much of town yet?" Sam asked.

"Nope, I just got here."

"We can show you around!"

"Sam, town isn't that big, she doesn't need us to show it to her," Sebastian said.

"Come on, Seb, she's new, we've gotta make her feel welcome!"

"That's alright, I really should buy some seeds and get back to farming. I've got a bunch of work to do."

"But you just got here! At least let us introduce you to everyone," Sam insisted.

Her practically empty crop field gnawed at the back of her mind, but it would be pretty rude to refuse. Not to mention how much easier it would be to meet the rest of the town with a local.

"Alright," she said.

"Great! Let's introduce you to Marnie first. She sells farm animals."

Sam immediately started off to the south towards the river and Cecilia, Abigail, and Sebastian scrambled after him. He made a right turn down a residential street. Cecilia smiled, maybe this wouldn't be too bad.

A few hours later and Sam had introduced her to almost everyone in town. They'd covered the whole area, from Marnie's farm, to the museum and blacksmith's shop, and Robin's shop. Sam, Abigail, and Sebastian came with her to Pierre's where she bought what was probably too many seeds and a fresh set of sheets.

"Thank you so much," Cecilia said.

"You're very welcome. It's nice to have some new business," Pierre replied.

The group walked back outside, stopping in the place that they'd first met.

"So why did you move out here?" Sam asked.

Cecilia's heart skipped a beat and then she told herself that she was being stupid, of course people were going to ask.

"I had a uh, bad job in Zuzu city. My grandfather told me to come out here if I got tired of it all."

"That's exciting," Abigail said. "To just pick up and move, starting somewhere new."

"It is, if a little nerve wracking. I have to make my living on crops now," Cecilia said, eyes going wide as she fully realized what she had committed to.

"Speaking of, we should let you get back to work," Sebastian said.

"Yeah, I guess. You should come back to town tomorrow," Sam said.

"Sure, I will once I get everything planted," Cecilia said sincerely.

She had a good time with them and actually wanted to come back to hang out with them. But the niggling feeling of work to be done had been eating at her all day; the seed packets were burning a hole in her backpack.

"Well then, we'll see you tomorrow," Abigail said. "Maybe we can go to the beach then."

"Yeah, that sounds great." Cecilia waved at them and turned to leave.

"Head's up!" Someone shouted.

Cecilia turned just in time to catch a gridball right in the face. Pain erupted in her left eye and nose and she dropped to a crouch, covering her face with her hands.

"Owww!"

"Cecilia! Are you alright?" Sam shouted.

"Yeah, yeah," she waved him off with a now bloody hand.

"Alex! Watch where you're throwing that!" Abigail scolded.

"Sorry, I guess I don't know my own strength," a new voice said, not sounding all that apologetic.  
She looked up at the reckless ball hurler to find a very handsome, tall, brunette man looking down at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, her voice nasally.

Blood dribbled down her lip into her mouth, which she spat back out.

"You should go see Dr. Harvey, no telling if that messed up your nose. I've got a pretty strong arm," he said.  
Cecilia could only glare at him. Did he really just say that after hitting her in the face with a gridball?

"It's just a nosebleed. I'll be fine."

He offered her a hand but she ignored it and stood on her own, keeping her head tilted forward to let the blood drain out.

"What a way to introduce yourself to the new farmer," Sebastian said.

"Ohhhh, you're the new farmer?" he asked.

"Yep, Cecilia Reed," she said, extending her not bloodied hand.

"Alex Mullner," he replied, meeting her with a strong handshake.

"Nice to meet you," she said, not able to muster up much of a friendly tone. "I have to get going though. I have a lot of work to do."

"Come on, just let Harvey look at you. Better safe than sorry," Alex said.

"It's just a nosebleed."

"And a black eye," he said, bringing his face very close to hers and gently touching her left cheek with his index finger.

She jolted back, "excuse you! I said I'm fine."

"You should get some ice on that, if you leave it, it'll swell up," he said.

He grabbed her wrist and started pulling her towards the clinic.

"Hey!" she shouted.

He dragged her inside, ignoring her protests. Her heart hammered wildly at this stupid guy she barely knew manhandling her.

"Alex, what's going on?" a man wearing a white lab coat asked.

"I accidentally hit Cecilia with a gridball, could you check her out?"

"You hit her with a gridball? I told you to be more careful," the doctor said in an exasperated tone.

Cecilia wretched her wrist out of Alex's grip. The doctor gathered up several supplies before stepping out from behind the counter.

"You must be the new farmer. I'm Dr. Harvey."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Cecilia."

"Let's get you patched up, just have a seat over here."

Cecilia sat down in one of the chairs and tilted her face up, feeling blood drip down her chin. Dr. Harvey quickly wiped her face off with some soft cloth.

"Hold this on your nose, I need to get you an ice pack for that eye."

Harvey left the room, leaving Cecilia with Alex who was staring intently at her.

"You can go, I'm fine," she grumbled.

"I don't know, I got you pretty good," he said.

Cecilia folded her arms and pointedly looked away from him. She couldn't stand to be under his direct attention, it made her feel trapped. Thankfully, Harvey returned with an ice pack and handed it to her. She put it on her bruised eye to which it brought immediate relief.

"How does that feel?" he asked.

"A lot better."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to take a closer look," Harvey said.

"Sure," she replied, tilting her head up.

With gloved hands, Harvey gently prodded the wounded part of her face. Faint pain radiated under his fingertips but she refrained from squirming. Alex peered over the doctor's shoulder, watching closely. Cecilia focused her attention up at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling.

"Nothing seems broken," Harvey said. "Just keep ice on it to keep the swelling down."

"I can do that, thank you," she said, standing up.

"And Alex," Harvey said before giving a deep sigh. "Try not to hit people with gridballs."

"I got it, I got it."

"Don't hesitate to come back if you get any other injuries."

"How much do I owe you for this one?" she asked, gesturing to her face.

"Don't worry about it, consider it a welcome to town gift."

"Oh, thank you. I really appreciate it," she said, a warm, fuzzy feeling flooding her chest.

"No worries, I hope to see you around under better circumstances," Harvey said, adjusting his glasses.

"Me too, thanks again."

Cecilia waved as she walked outside, Alex following behind her. Her face throbbed even under the ice pack. Sam, Abigail, and Sebastian were still waiting in the square.

"Are you alright? Did Alex break your nose?" Abigail asked.

"No, just some bruising," Cecilia replied. "Nothing bad enough to stop me from getting some work done."

"I guess we should let you head home," Sam said. "You'll come back tomorrow though, right?"

"Of course, Cecilia said before finally turning to walk to the farm.

"See you guys later."

"Bye, Cecilia!" Abigail said, waving.

She glanced over her shoulder, accidentally making eye contact with Alex. She jolted and walked a little faster. But her nerves settled quickly, thinking of all the work ahead of her.

* * *

AN: Hopefully, Cecilia will make fewer mistakes than I did my first time playing Stardew Valley.


	2. Old Habits

Chapter 2

Cecilia's feet hit the floor at 4:45 a.m. and she staggered to the bathroom to prepare for the day. She rinsed her face in the cold tap water before running her fingers through her short, dark brown hair to tame her bed head. The bruising from Alex's gridball was now dark purple and slightly swollen. She sighed before walking out to the fireplace and starting a flame. She filled an old pot with water and munched on an apple while she waited for it to boil. Just after 5:00 a.m. the songbirds awoke and began chirping away outside her window. She put a teabag in a very handmade looking mug and poured the scalding water over it. While it brewed, she got dressed and put a headband on to keep her hair out of her face.

She took her drink and walked outside to sit on the front porch. Another thousand square feet would need to be cleared out to make room for all the seeds. Thankfully, most of the area near the parsnip crop was covered in bramble and tall grass rather than trees. It could be finished today. She drained her cup and traded it out for her scythe and axe. If she moved quickly, all the actual clearing could be done before noon when the day's full heat set in. She took the scythe first and gave a few practice swings, sweeping it in long arcs in front of her. It was a good a time as any to just get started. She walked over to the weeds and swung but it just pushed the plants over instead of cutting them.

"What?"

Was she doing it wrong? She took another swing to the same effect. It couldn't be that hard to use a medieval tool. She lifted the blade end up to get a closer look and gently ran her finger over the edge. Dull as a spoon.

"Of course."

She marched back inside to find a whetstone.

After sharpening the axe and scythe, Cecilia was out in the tall grass and weeds again. She took a swing that cleared a swathe of plants out of her path. Adjusting her grip, she nodded to herself and started working. She paced back and forth, swinging and clearing, as the sun creeped higher into the sky. Once all the plants were cut down she dragged the wheelbarrow out and collected them. Then onto the bramble bushes. She put on a pair of thick work gloves and picked up her freshly sharpened axe. It maybe wasn't the best tool for clearing brambles, but she didn't want to drop the money on a machete. She hacked at a thick clump of thorny plant, breaking it up into manageable chunks. Despite her attempt to be careful her arms became increasingly scraped up as she worked. Sweat dripped down her neck and arms, making the scratches sting.

By 12:30 p.m. she had the area cleared of unwanted plants. She wiped her brow, taking a moment to rest before starting on the tilling. Her chest filled with pride at empty field and her fingers twitched to get moving again. She picked up her hoe and started her second pass of the area. As she chopped at the ground, a small shape flitted through her peripheral vision. She whipped her head around in time to see a black and white cat dash into a bush and disappear. Her thoughts immediately went to using the cat as pest control for a barn. Ambitious, considering she didn't have enough space or money for a barn yet. She wasn't against trying to win the cat over now though, she'd have to get food for it somewhere. She shook her head, brining her focus back to the current task.

She tilled, planted, and watered long after the sun had reached its peak in the sky. An orange hue settled over the farm and cicada whines filled the air. She put her hands on her hips and took a moment to survey the farmed field. Straight rows of cauliflower, kale, and potato seeds filled three quarters of the cleared space and the remainder with bean poles fashioned out of mostly straight sticks and a flower bed. It really wasn't much when she saw it all laid out. She'd have to clear a lot more land to plant enough crops to turn a profit. Even then, how much could vegetables really sell for?

Satisfied, for the moment, with the amount of work accomplished and her muscles protesting from soreness, she gathered her tools and walked back to her house. The shower called her name. The second she walked through the door she started peeling off articles of clothing, leaving them where they landed on the floor. Within thirty minutes she had showered, eaten, and climbed into bed. The sun dipped below the horizon, leaving the farm and her house dark besides the single floor lamp. The initial exhaustion she felt knocked her out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

But an hour later she was awake again. With a great deal of concentrated effort she dozed off into a light sleep. Another two hours passed and she was back to staring at the ceiling. She writhed under the blankets, worries running a mile a minute through her mind. What was she doing? Why did she ever think she could support herself by farming? She didn't even know anything about farming! A few urban gardening books weren't going to help her start what was essentially her own business. She pulled her pillow over her head and squeezed her eyes shut like she could hide from the realities settling in around her.

But she had to be able to pull this off. Going back to Zuzu wasn't an option; she'd sooner walk into the Gem Sea with cement shoes than go back. She would make it work. She just had to learn more. She jolted upright and hopped out of bed, knowing sleep wasn't coming. The clock read 3:42. Might as well get the cabin straightened up a bit. She stoked the fire and put more water on for tea. The empty, dusty bookshelf in the corner had been taunting her since she moved in so she decided it was time to give it a thorough cleaning.

Then, she heard a tap at the front window. She whipped her head to see what it was just in time to catch a shadow vanish from view. An irrational, cold rush of fear filled her up and sent her heart racing. It was just a trick of her peripheral vision. Still, she grabbed her axe and crept across the house. Half of her instincts told her to go hide in the bathroom. The other half figured that if a serial killer was actually out there, she'd rather try to take them down with her. After two steadying breaths she flung the door open. The porch was empty, along with the immediate area in front of the house. But staring out into the pitch darkness wasn't reassuring. She backed inside and slammed the door before getting a chair to jam under the knob. Being alone on such a large, untamed property must have been messing with her head.

After cleaning for several hours, 7:30 rolled around and she started her trek to the museum, hoping to arrive after it opened. She opted for the scenic route by the river even though it meant she'd have to pick her way through the densely packed trees and boulders. The thick trees grew as close together as possible, blocking out the sun entirely so no underbrush grew. Large rocks occasionally broke up the forest and she wondered how she was going to get rid of them all with that old pickaxe. She made it off her property and strolled past Marnie's farm and the cottage of the artist girl. She struggled with all the names and had already forgotten most.

By 8:07 she reached the southeast corner of town. She walked into the museum and greeted Gunther before continuing back to the rows of bookshelves. Despite being in such a small town, the collection was impressive. She picked through the books, quickly passing over everything that wasn't relevant, gemology, town resident records, mythology. Still nothing about farming though. Cecilia gave a tight lipped frown and kept searching.

"Are you looking for something in particular?" a soft voice asked.

Cecilia turned to find a petite woman with copper hair, someone Sam hadn't introduced her to, standing just up the aisle.

"Yeah, I'm not having much luck finding anything about farming," she replied.

"Oh, the farming books are over here," she said, turning and walking further into the museum.

Cecilia followed her to a corner blocked in by an L of shelves.

"They should all be here," the young woman said, gesturing to a counter under the window.

"Thank you," Cecilia said.

"You wouldn't happen to be the new farmer, would you?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm Cecilia Reed," she extended a hand to her.

"My name's Penny," she replied, meeting her with a gentle shake.

Penny's delicate hand made Cecilia painfully aware of how calloused and rough her own were already.

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she said with a shy smile. "Well, I tutor Jas and Vincent and they should be here soon so I need to get ready for them."

"Of course," Cecilia replied. "Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," Penny said before walking back out towards the main area of the museum.

Cecilia turned to the bookshelf and began scanning the spines. She pulled book after book on animal husbandry, beekeeping, maintaining fruit trees, lumber and anything else she knew little about. After a few minutes she was satisfied with her first pass of the books and picked all ten up at once and carefully maneuvered her way up to the front desk.

"Would I be able to check these out?" she asked, sliding the stack of books onto the counter.

"Of course," Gunther said.

He took out a ledger and checked off each of the books.

"When do you need them back by?" she asked.

"Whenever you're finished with them. Not much interest in farming books these days. Just take good care of them."

"Yes sir, thank you," Cecilia said, picking up the books.

"Take care."

She made it out the door before realizing she'd have to walk all the way back to her farm carrying the precarious stack.

"Ugh, oh well," she muttered, kicking herself for not bringing a bag.

She crossed the bridge and walked past Mayor Lewis's house, where he was outside tending to a flower box.

"Hello, Cecilia. I hope the farm life is treating you well," he said.

"It's going well so far," she replied.

"Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you."

She continued on past the cemetary and to the town square where someone else greeted her.

"Hey Cecilia!"

Sam jogged towards her with Sebastian maintaining a normal walking speed behind him.

"Where were you yesterday?"

"Oh no, I was supposed to come back to town. I'm sorry, I got caught up working, there's just so much to do."

"It's fine," he said, waving her off. "I can't imagine how much stuff you have to get done."

"It's quite a bit, but I don't mind the work."

They started walking with her as she continued on back to the farm.

"What are you doing with all of those books?" Sebastian asked.

"I don't know all that much about animal husbandry or farming for profit. I know how to tend crops but not much else so I figured I'd read up on it."

Sebastian just nodded.

"And you're going to read all of those?" Sam asked, eyeing the enormous stack.

"Yup."

He laughed, "seems like you're just piling the work on."

"I have to. I have to get this farm off the ground."

"You're crazy," he said, giving her a nudge in the side.

"I did leave the city to start a farm with no experience."

Even Sebastian chuckled at that. As they passed Pierre's store and the clinic Alex and the blonde girl, Cecilia struggled to remember her name, walked down the stairs that lead up to the park area and community center.

"Hey, Cecilia!" Alex said, waving.

Why was everyone around here so friendly?

"Have you met Haley yet?" he asked, gesturing to the blonde girl.

"No, not yet."

"Cecilia, this is Haley. Haley this is Cecilia, she's the one I accidentally hit with a gridball

yesterday," he said.

"I can tell, you gave her such an ugly black eye."

Cecilia gave a forced smile, not sure how else to respond to such a comment.

"Ah, come on, it's not that bad," Alex said, scratching the back of his neck.

All Cecilia could think of was the vibrant purple bruising she saw in the mirror that morning.

"Well, I've got a lot of work to do. I'm going to head home. See you," Cecilia said, not necessarily meaning the last part.

"Bye!" Alex called out to her.

She felt a little rude not responding but he did introduce her as the girl he hit in the face with a gridball. Sam and Sebastian followed after her. She walked quickly, determined to just get home.

"Wow, you got a lot done already," Sam said.

"Yeah, not enough yet though," she said with a chuckle.

She set the books down before sitting on the edge of the porch. The two boys joined her.

"Now that you've seen my life for the past few days, what do you guys do?" she asked.

"I'm a musician!" Sam said, his eyes lighting up. "I'm doing an online degree in music production and I write a lot of songs when I'm not working at JojaMart."

"That's pretty cool, what kind of music do you make?" she asked.

Sam gave an uncertain chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. "I haven't decided yet, just can't seem to settle on anything."

"Ah, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"I gotta make a decision soon. I have to make an EP for class and my professor won't like it if it's a heap of everything."

"What about you, Sebastian?"

"I'm a programmer," he replied.

"Really? I hung out with a few programmers when I worked at Joja. I never understood what they were doing," Cecilia admitted.

"It's not too hard, it's just like learning another language."

"It seems like a demanding job to me," she said.

Sebastian gave a small smile.

"Says the farmer," Sam exclaimed.

Cecilia just shrugged. "I like it. It's a hell of a lot better than Joja."

Sam scoffed in agreement. "You got that right!"

A moment of silence passed as the three looked out over the field, Cecilia growing increasingly self-conscious of how few crops there actually were in the grand scheme of things.

"Well, I guess we should let you get back to work. Hopefully it won't be too long before we see you again," Sam said.

"I'll try to make it out into civilization soon."

Sam and Sebastian waved and then walked back down the road to town. Cecilia picked up the book on the top of the stack and cracked it open, but she found her eyes wandering over the words, not really taking them in. She didn't know what to make of that brief interaction with Alex.

* * *

AN: Thank you OlympusBorn for your review! I'm glad you liked the first chapter. I definitely struggle with the parts where the characters recite dialogue from the game, it feels very stiff. Your feedback really got me motivated to finish this chapter.

I always figured that going from a corporate office job to running a farm for a living would come with its fair share of stress.

Not to mention whatever that creepy sound at 4:00 a.m. was…


	3. Competitive

Cecilia rubbed her eyes, finally not feeling the dull pain of the black eye, before taking a sip of tea. Sleep eluded her yet again, forcing her out of bed in the early hours of the morning to continue pouring over the books and growing collection of notes. She picked up the map of her property - four sheets of grid paper taped together - and scanned over the section of squares representing her crops; when compared to the whole of her property it was tantamount to an ambitious garden, not a business. Certainly not enough to cover living expenses and definitely not enough to repair the barn, two chicken coops, and rabbit hutch she'd discovered in the southwest corner of the property when she finally got around to surveying it.

She unlocked her phone and opened the banking app. Her checking and saving accounts combined should be able to cover her for a few months if she could break even. She'd be totally broke, but she wouldn't starve to death. A pit of anxiety settled in her gut, for as awful as Joja had been it gave her a steady, reliable paycheck. This was the polar opposite but she'd accept the uncertainty if it meant never having to set foot in a sterile, soul-sucking Joja office building ever again. At least, that's what she told herself when she really considered that she was selling vegetables for a living.

She pushed herself away from the table, grabbed her boots, and walked outside. Spring was in full swing now with the last vestiges of winter chill barely hanging on in the early mornings. Green buds filled the trees and wildflowers began to bloom in the fields of untamed grass. She walked out to the garden to examine the tiny, green sprouts protruding from the soil in neat rows. After a moment of contemplation, she continued on to the newest garden, planted just a week ago, behind the first. Equally strong feelings of pride at the work she'd done, and exhaustion at how little it had amounted to battled inside her. She laced her fingers together behind her head and sighed, she shouldn't keep doing this overthinking thing. She just needed to put her nose to the grindstone.

The firewood pile was running low and the nights were still cold so she spent a few hours chopping fallen trees. Then, after considering her pitiful food store, she decided foraging for some wild produce would be the best use of the remainder of her day. So she took an old basket and scoured her property for all the mushrooms, leeks, and dandelions she could find. What would her parents think if they could see her? Picking weeds just to have enough to eat.

"You are a twenty-seven year old woman, who gives a fuck?" she muttered, trying to dispel the feeling of their disappointment. They didn't even know she was at Night Owl Farm.

Upon coming back to the gardens, trying to block out the sinking sun with her hand, she noticed several crows perched on some of the fallen trees about fifty feet away. She picked up a stray rock and hurled it at them, forcing them to scatter, the last thing she needed was animals picking off her crops. It was time for a scarecrow.

She made for the shed tucked behind her house, recalling quite a bit of junk inside. Of course, the main issue would be finding junk useful for a scarecrow. She pushed a crumbling, wood crate with her boot. How was Grandpa's house so empty but his shed so full of stuff? A giant, wooden spool blocked access to all of the miscellaneous bits and pieces in the back. She grabbed the edge of it and pulled, barely budging it a few inches. She reached across, grabbed the far side, and pulled again. Her hands slipped and she staggered back. She struggled to keep her balance, but she crashed into a pile of assorted junk with a loud crash. Searing pain erupted in her right arm.

"Motherfucker!" she shrieked.

Blood gushed out of a long gash, cutting straight down her arm at an alarming rate.

"Oh fuck, oh bad."

She glanced back to see a large, round saw blade covered in her blood. Scrambling to her feet, she grabbed a frayed rag off a shelf by the door and pressed it to the wound. She did that awkward shuffle of not knowing what to do, a hundred thoughts compelling her in every which way all at once. Her first aid kit was paltry and certainly not suited to deal with this catastrophe. The clinic, then, Harvey would know how to deal with it. She took off running, keeping her arm pinched to her body and feeling the blood seep through the rag. It briefly crossed her mind that running could be doing more damage as it elevated her heart rate, pumping her blood faster, but she wanted an expert to deal with it ASAP.

Thankfully, foot traffic in town was light, minimizing the number of people who saw the bloody mess running by. She slowed to a quick walk before throwing the clinic door open. Having meant to barge right it, she wasn't prepared to run smack into Harvey, who seemed to be on his way out.

"Yoba, what happened to you?"

"I was moving stuff in the shed and I sliced my arm on a wheel rake blade," she said.

"Well, come in, I'll get you patched up right away," he said, his demeanor immediately jumping to doctor mode.

He walked back inside and Cecilia followed him into a back room, where he gestured for her to sit on an exam table. She peeled away the soaked rag and examined the cut; the bleeding had mostly stopped and it didn't appear to be all that deep, but it was a good six inches long.

"I don't think you'll need stitches, just looking at it. We'll see how it is once it's cleaned up."

Harvey made the whole procedure very quick; gentle, practiced hands wiped away the blood with a wet gauze cloth, revealing a clean slice through her skin. Then, he applied an antiseptic that barely stung, covered the cut in a strip of gauze and wound the whole thing with tape.

"So no stitches then?" she asked.

"No, it's a fairly superficial and will heal as long as you keep it wrapped up. Letting it "air out" is an old wives tale so try to keep it covered as much as you can."

"Yes sir," she said, standing up.

"One more thing. When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?"

Cecilia's stomach dropped at the mere mention of a needle. "Probably when I was thirteen?"

"I think it would be in your best interest to get another one. You should be fine for now but it is best to take precautions for future accidents."

"Yeah, ok. Let's get it over with," she said, sitting back down with a pit of dread filling her gut.

"Not a fan of shots?" he asked.

"Nope, not at all."

"This will be quick. And nothing compared to how that cut must feel," he said, opening a cabinet and pulling out a syringe.

She let out a groan and squeezed her eyes shut. Harvey swiped an alcohol soaked cotton ball across her shoulder, making her suck in a breath in anticipation. He placed a hand on her upper arm and then there was a pinch between his fingers. Her heart hammered away and her palms went clammy as the vaccine pushed into her veins. When he withdrew the needle she released the breath she'd been holding.

"I'm such a wuss," she muttered.

"Plenty of people are afraid of shots, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Harvey said, peeling off his latex gloves.

She dragged her hands down her face, what a day she'd had. First getting sliced open by a saw blade, then a shot, now she was facing down an unexpected expense that was undoubtedly going to push back getting a washing machine by another month.

"So what do you take insurance wise? Not that it matters I guess since I don't have any anymore," she said, grimacing at the realization.

"Well, actually, since I run my own practice and this is such a small town with so many self-employed residents I do it a little differently. Everyone pays a monthly fee, around forty-five gold, and then you get access to all the services we provide without having to pay for every minor injury," he explained.

"Oh thank Yoba. Can I sign up for that now?"

"Of course."

He gave her a small stack of papers that she scanned and signed before returning it to him with the first month's fee.

"I'm sorry I kept you here after hours, I just had no idea how to deal with this," she said, holding up her bandaged arm.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I was just heading to the saloon, nothing that important."

"Do you mind if I tag along? A beer sounds really nice right now."

"Of course."

The two made there way out of the clinic and across the main square to the saloon. More than a handful of people waved at her or gave her a passing greeting, which she still wasn't used to. In order to garner this much attention in Zuzu she would have had to sport a neon blue mohawk and face tattoos.

Harvey seemed to notice Cecilia's unpracticed reactions. "I remember my first week in Pelican Town. Coming from a big city makes small towns seem all the more intimidating."

"It is a very… tightly knit community."

Getting to know people in Pelican Town felt like trying to insert herself into a friend group that had known each other for years. In Zuzu she could go unnoticed when she chose, but here, everyone knew what everyone else was doing at all times.

"They are good people, though. Once you really get to know everyone it's almost like joining a family."

Cecilia could only nod as he led the way into the saloon, nearly a month in the valley and she hadn't ventured in yet. As expected, it was a cozy, rustic bar seemingly made entirely of wood, including the giant bear statue in the corner. Harvey wove through the Friday night crowd to the bar and slid onto a barstool, Cecilia joining him.

"Be right with you guys!" Emily called to them.

Cecilia had to run through the people in town she'd met before recalling that Emily was Haley's sister.

She made her way down the bar and stopped in front of them. "What can I get you both? The usual, Harvey?"

"Yes please."

"Cecilia?"

"Do you guys have an IPA?"

"Of course!"

In a whirl of blue hair, Emily produced a glass of red wine and a pint of beer before practically bounding off to attend to another customer.

"So you worked for Joja before moving out here?" Harvey asked.

"Regrettably."

"I feel like it's self-explanatory why you left," he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, Joja is basically a hellhole. _Anything_ would be a better use of a masters degree," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

His attention was suddenly piqued and he turned towards her. "You have a masters degree? In what if you don't mind me asking."

"Accountancy. It seems excessive now that I've taken up farming."

"I don't think so since you're effectively running a business alone. I know how stressful that can be," he said with a wry grin.

"Seems like you're making it work, though," she said.

"It has its challenges, but it's much preferable to the practice I worked for in Zuzu."

"How so?"

"It was too fast paced for me. I couldn't form meaningful relationships with my patients. It felt like a production line."

"Cheers to that," she said.

They clinked their glasses together and took a drink.

"So the farm life is suiting you well, I take it?"

"Surprisingly, yes. I'm not going to lie, dropping everything to take over a derelict farm was a little crazy, but I like it."

Harvey laughed. "You certainly are brave."

"I don't know if I'd say that," she said, looking away.

Whether or not she agreed with him the compliment was flattering.

"The hermit has finally emerged!" A familiar voice called out behind her.

Sam appeared through the crowd and leaned against the bar.

Cecilia gave an awkward laugh. "Yeah, I figured one night off couldn't hurt."

"Well, what do you say to a game of pool?"

"Sure, that sounds fun," she said, picking up her drink and sliding off the bar stool.

"Dr. Harvey?" Sam asked.

"Thank you, but I'll pass. I've always been terrible at pool," he said.

"Alright, see you around."

"Thanks for patching me up," Cecilia said.

"Of course."

She followed Sam to the room off to the side of the main bar area, which she supposed was a game room considering the arcade cabinets and pool table. Sebastian made a shot, sniping a ball from across the table and knocked it into one of the side pockets. She got the feeling that he was going to wipe the floor with her. Abigail stood at an arcade cabinet, rapidly clicking away at the buttons, with Leah leaning against it, watching.

"Hey, Cecilia!" Leah said, looking up.

"Hey, how's it going?"

She didn't quite know her very well yet but they had several passing conversations when they ran into each other while Cecilia was out foraging.

"Not too bad, how about yourself?"

"I cut myself on some farm equipment but alright, all things considered," she replied, holding up her bandaged arm.

"Ugh, that sounds awful," Leah said with a shudder.

"Yeah, that about covers it."

"How are your crops doing?" Sam asked.

"They've sprouted so I'm not a total failure yet. How about your class assignment?"

"I turned it in last night so we'll see," he said with a nervous chuckle.

Leah pushed herself off the cabinet and started towards the main bar area. "Looks like Elliott just got here. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye Leah!" Abigail said, glancing at her for a split second.

Cecilia took a cue stick from the rack and rubbed some chalk on the tip

"You want to play two against two?" Sebastian asked.

"I'm down," Cecilia said.

"Abigail?" Sam called out to her.

"I just got to level three," she replied, not looking away from the game.

"Aw come on, you're going to let Cecilia play us all by herself?" Sam asked.

"You know she'd do better without me," she said. "Seriously, Cecilia, I'm the worst pool player on the planet."

"I can play by myself," Cecilia said, not necessarily elated at the idea.

Sebastian took another shot, putting the four ball in a pocket, and Cecilia took a swig of her beer, hoping to reach that buzzed state where one became inexplicably better at certain things.

"Hang on, I'm gonna find a fourth," Sam said before dashing back towards the bar.

Cecilia and Sebastian took shots on random balls while the 8-bit sounds of Abigail's game filled the room. The silence was easy and relaxed, he didn't make her feel the need to fill it with meaningless chatter. After they had sunk nearly all the balls Sam returned with the fourth player.

"Hey Cecilia, Sebastian," Alex said.

"Sam," Sebastian said in a tone that expressed clear dissatisfaction.

"Oh calm down, you don't have to play with him," Sam retorted.

Alex took a cue stick off the rack and chalked the tip while Sebastian gathered up all the balls, a faint glower on his face. It wasn't exactly surprising that the jock guy and the emo guy didn't seem to care for each other.

"Hey, your black eye's gone," Alex said.

"Oh, yeah, it really wasn't too bad," she replied.

Sebastian racked up the balls with the triangle before moving to take the first shot. With a crack, the balls scattered across the table, and the blue two sunk in a corner pocket.

"So since Sam and Sebastian are going to kick our asses, what do you say to a bet?" Alex asked.

"What kind of bet?"

"The first one of us to whiff a shot buys the other a beer."

The real question of this bet was how good did she think he was at pool? She was split fifty fifty, his athleticism could translate to pool, or he could be all hot air. But, the fact that he was willing to bet on it made her think he must have some level of skill, no way he of all people would make a contest out of something he sucked at.

"Sure, why not?" she said.

They shook on it, an excited grin lighting up his face. He gestured at the table in a 'you first' way. She picked up her stick and examined her options. Thirteen had a fairly clear shot to a corner pocket, so she leaned onto the table, lined up her shot, and took it. The cue ball struck its target and knocked it into the pocket. She tried to smother the smug grin that fought its way onto her face. Alex didn't seem daunted, if anything, he seemed more excited. Sam went next and sunk the six ball, followed by Alex taking out the nine ball. Cecilia cocked her head back, trying to look down her nose at the much taller Alex.

"Nice shot," she said.

The game continued without any whiffed shots on either side. Alex was the first to not land a ball in a pocket, which Cecilia silently gloated at him over.

"Rub it in all you want, but I'm not going to be the one buying a beer," he said.

"If you say so," she replied.

Sam chuckled. "We should've just let you two play each other."

"Ah, where's the fun in that? I wanna play with _someone_ that'll challenge me," Cecilia said, giving Alex a sly look.

"Hey!" Alex retorted, looking more amused than insulted.

She stepped up for her next shot and Alex leaned on the table right next to her, trying to throw off her game by invading her space. Pointedly ignoring him, she took a test jab at the cue ball.

"I hope you can back up all that smack by making that," he said, gesturing at the layout of balls.

"Oh, don't worry."

She snapped her cue stick forward, sending the cue ball ricocheting off the nine and pushing it into a pocket. The buzz of alcohol inclined her to tilt her head towards him and give him the smarmiest expression she could muster. He didn't turn away, like would have expected someone to, but met her with an equally cocky expression.

"There you are," a girl's voice said. "I've been looking all over for you."

Haley stood in the doorway with one hand on her hip.

"Oh, sorry, I got caught up in a game," Alex replied, standing up straight and leaving Cecilia's bubble.

"I can see that," she said.

Cecilia wasn't sure what the deal between Alex and Haley was, she saw them together a lot around town so they could be dating but it didn't quite seem like it. And she didn't seem all that upset that he had been well inside Cecilia's personal space, so who knew what was up with them. Haley just hopped onto a nearby barstool and sipped her martini, so the game continued.

Sam and Sebastian quickly pulled ahead as Alex and Cecilia repeatedly failed to land their shots. Her turn came back around and the options were bleak, eleven and twelve were the only striped balls remaining and somehow, both were blocked by the remaining solid color balls. She'd have to bounce the cue off a side to even have a chance to hit them. Alex's grin widened as he reached the same realization she did unless she got really lucky, she was about to buy him a beer. She gritted her teeth and stepped up to the table, planning on attempting to hit the twelve. With a crack, she sent the cue bouncing off the side and sailing right by the purple striped ball.

"Ugh," Cecilia groaned, hanging her head.

"Ah well, that was an ugly set up," he said.

She drained the rest of her beer while Sam knocked in one of the remaining solid balls. Alex managed to hit the twelve in now that it was in a better spot and he returned her gloat from earlier. Sebastian hit the final, non-eight, solid ball into a pocket. Knowing the game was about to be lost anyway, Cecilia lined up her shot and knocked the eleven into a pocket.

"And the reigning champions remain uncontested!" Sam said, sauntering up to the table.

He sunk the eight ball easily, barely even needing to aim. Cecilia shook her head.

"You guys are good," she said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, a few years of Friday nights playing pool will do that," Sam said.

"Well, I have to go buy Alex a beer. So I'll see you guys around."

"Will you actually come back to town this time?" Abigail asked. "You were gone for weeks!"

Cecilia rubbed the back of her neck. "I was… around, I saw you guys."

"Like twice!" San exclaimed.

"I'm a workaholic, sue me," she said with a shrug.

She said it like it was a joke but she could probably be clinically diagnosed if she bothered. After waving goodbye to everyone she made her way to the bar, pushing her way through the crowd that had grown since her arrival.

Emily finished serving a few others before making her way to Cecilia. "What can I get for you?"

"A stout," she replied.

"Coming right up," Emily said before putting a pint glass under the tap.

Alex pushed his way up to the bar, easily shouldering his way through a crowd of people with Haley following right behind him. Emily returned and put the dark beer on the bar, Cecilia pushed it towards Alex.

"Anything for you?" Emily asked him.

"An amber ale."

"What are you -?"

Alex took the beer from Emily and handed it to Cecilia. "You're pretty good. Usually, Sam and Sebastian just steamroll everyone and I hate losing so you earned it."

"Thank you," she said.

They knocked their glasses together and started drinking. She made eye contact with him and suddenly the contest was back on. She might have lost the pool bet but she wasn't losing this. Tilting her head back, she chugged in as big of gulps as she could manage. He seemed to catch on and just kept draining his glass. She squeezed her eyes shut and finished the last few drops of beer before slamming her glass down on the bar just a second before Alex. He laughed before whacking her on the shoulder. Haley rolled her eyes at their antics. Her buzz caught a second wind with the sudden rush of alcohol and drove back the anxiety of being at an unfamiliar bar by herself.

"So what do you do, Alex?" she asked.

"I'm training to go pro in gridball."

She couldn't say she was surprised. "For the Tunnelers?"

"You know it. I'm going to be the first from Stardew Valley."

She contemplated how bad her face hurt when he hit her. "I can see it. You probably would have snapped me in half if you'd tackled me."

"Probably," he said, laughing.

"He was a heavy hitter in high school," Haley added. "He could take down anyone."

So they had known each other since at least high school, not that it helped her determine what their relationship status was. It was just hard to imagine such an archetypal duo - the jock and the cheerleader - not dating, especially when they hung out as much as Alex and Haley did. Cecilia bit the inside of her cheek, chalking up her interest in the subject to the alcohol and pushed the thoughts away. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket to check the time, 9:47 p.m. The full day of work weighed on her, filling her limbs with lead, and the beer wasn't helping to keep her awake.

"I think I need to get going," she said. "Or tomorrow is going to kick my ass."

She waved to Gus who brought over her tab, which she paid and left a sizeable tip.

"Early start for you too, huh?" Alex asked.

She pushed herself away from the bar, stood, and stretched her legs. "You know it, my parsnips aren't going to water themselves."

"I don't know how you guys get up so early," Haley said, shaking her head.

"'Cause we have work to do!"Alex said.

Haley just shrugged and tossed her hair.

Cecilia smiled before heading for the door. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye!" they both replied, waving.

"Goodnight, Cecilia!" Emily called out.

Cecilia waved over her shoulder when someone tapped their knuckle on her arm.

"Are you heading home for the night?" Lewis asked.

"Yeah, I can't stay up too late," she replied.

"If you're not in too much of a rush would you mind coming with me? There's something I'd like to show you," he asked.

"Um, sure."  
Cecilia wasn't sure what to make of the invitation and was even more confused when Lewis started towards the main row of shops. They continued up the stairs to the park area until they reached the crumbling building between the playground and the river. Even in the midnight darkness, she could make out the shattered windows and deteriorating wooden walls.

"What is it?" she asked. Sam hadn't mentioned what it was when he gave her the town tour.

"It used the be the community center but as you can tell it's fallen on some hard times," he said before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Joja Corporation has been hounding me to sell them the land so they can turn it into a warehouse. Pelican Town could use the money but I just can't bring myself to do it."

Cecilia scowled, she'd never given this building a second thought before but it still made her angry that Joja wanted it.

"I wanted to make sure you got to see the place before I made any decisions. Your grandfather was quite fond of it."

"Was he?"

She wasn't surprised he hadn't mentioned it in his precious few visits to her family in the city. But it still gave her a strange feeling in her chest, like a phantom closeness to the distant figure of her grandfather. Lewis dug in his pocket and pulled out a key ring.

"We had all sorts of events and activities here years ago. But we lost the revenue for it and it's fallen into disrepair. It's shameful, really."

He shoved the old door open and she followed him inside to find the interior in an equal state of disrepair, giant chunks of floorboard missing and whole sections of the roof caving in. On the far side of the room was a large fireplace with a stone slab hanging above it with six hollow stars carved into the rock.

"What's this?" Lewis asked.

Cecilia turned to see him examining a strange, stone hut with a thatched leaf roof in the back right corner.

"I guess Vincent and Jas must've been playing in here."

It seemed a good a guess as any as to what the odd structure could be. She glanced around the room again, trying to imagine how it looked years ago when her grandfather lived in the valley. Then, over Lewis's shoulder, a small, green, spherical creature with a little antenna scuttled across the floor. Cecilia jolted, she didn't think she was that drunk.

"What is it?" Lewis asked, noticing her distress.

As he turned around the creature vanished into thin air.

 _I'm losing my mind._

Cecilia walked across the room to where it had been, looking for tiny holes it could have disappeared into. "I thought I saw something," she muttered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if this building was infested with rats," Lewis said, shaking his head.

She looked back up to see the green ball behind Lewis again. She thought it was a combination of the alcohol and whatever hallucinogenic fungus that was growing in the building making her see things until the creature waved at her with its wispy, little arm.

"I think I need to head home," she said, unable to keep all the panic out of her voice.

"I suppose it is late for you," Lewis said. "I should be heading home as well."

They both made for the door, Cecilia setting a quick pace, but Lewis stopped just short.

"I think I'll leave this place unlocked from now on. Feel free to come by whenever you want, maybe you could even do something about that rat problem."

"Yeah, maybe."

 _Rats, sure._

They finally left the building, returning to the faint chill of the spring night.

"Well, I'll see you around. Have a good night," Cecilia said, her feet already carrying her back towards the farm.

"Good night to you too, Cecilia," Lewis replied.

She continued on to her house, so wrapped up in her thoughts she wasn't all that concerned that she was walking home alone, slightly drunk, through the woods. Cecilia could describe herself as a skeptic, she didn't buy into astrology or ghosts or supernatural beings, but there was no denying that she saw _something_ in the community center. With a twisted smile, she started to regret not picking up a mythology book from the library.

* * *

AN: hooo boy this is a long one and I'm not really sure how it happened.

Thank you OlympusBorn and EnyaandEathenyl for your reviews! They really mean a lot to me!


	4. The Arcane

Chapter 4

Cecilia pulled out the last infected potato and chucked it into the wheelbarrow before rocking back on her heels. More than half the crop caught the blight before she realized it, wasting not only a good bit of potential income but several hours of her time culling it. She stood up and pushed the wheelbarrow over to her growing burn pile before dumping it out.

"What a fucking waste," she muttered.

She glanced at her watch which read 5:27 a.m. Another nightmare roused her around 3:00 which lead to her checking on her crops and discovering the diseased potatoes, giving her day a bad start very early. Anger, rather than worry, roiled in her chest, sure it was a lot of money gone and would set her back a considerable amount but she was more pissed that she allowed such a disaster to occur. How many days had her crop been rotting and she was totally unaware? Irate adrenaline pumped through her body and she kicked a small rock, sending it bouncing across the field. She marched to the house, picked up her ax, and then made for the treeline she spent most of her free time pushing back.

With a powerful swing, she started a wedge in a tree and got to it. Her muscles adapted quickly to the workload, bulking up much quicker than she had in the gym. A miracle really, considering her diet of almost entirely scavenged vegetables. She felled the tree and moved on to the next one. Then, an unusually cold gust of wind blew across the farm, making her shudder. She lifted her head and glanced around to check for storm clouds, vaguely remembering a tip from one of the books about interpreting the weather. But not a single cloud hung in the sky, just like the weather forecast said. She stuck her ax in the dirt and took a few paces away from the tree stump, peering into the forest, but didn't see anything.

SNAP

A branch broke and crashed to the ground. Her heart rate jumped for a moment before she shook her head.

 _It's just your imagination._

She picked up her ax and walked into the woods, maybe it was a dead tree that she could take down for firewood. But the second she crossed into the forest proper the hair on the back of her neck stood up and she stopped dead. The snapped tree branch lay in a pool of sunlight and everything around it seemed trapped in stillness. No leaves rustling or birds chirping. She tightened her grip on her ax and turned in a circle trying to find whatever it was that was putting her on edge. The distinct sense that she was acting like a stereotypical city slicker that jumped at every wild animal and random noise crept up over her mild fear. She rested her ax head on the ground so she could pinch the bridge of her nose with her free hand.

"What the hell are you doing, Cecilia?" she muttered.

She swung her ax onto her shoulder and turned to leave. Then, from behind her, came the sound of dead leaves being flung into the air like someone swung a rake through them with all their might. She spun back around just in time to see leaves settling to the ground. No wind though.

Her mind took off with every possibility of what could have caused it. Strange weather patterns that spelled disaster, rabid animals, a trespasser. Or whatever the hell those little creatures were from the other night at the community center. Her palms became sweaty and her heart rate picked up again. The farm was huge and empty and seemed to grow by the second. She turned on her heel and made a beeline for the front gate, slowing down just long enough to wedge her ax in a tree stump before continuing on.

The amount of adrenaline in her body pushed her into a jog that carried her the rest of the way down the road. Pelican Town was still sleeping, no one out walking around yet, which she was grateful for so she didn't have to explain why she had rushed into town.

 _Oh, no reason, I just got spooked by some wind and ran like a bitch._

She let out a deep exhale and put her hands on top of her head in an attempt to slow her heart rate down and convince herself that she was imagining things. She just wasn't used to so much open space without other people, of course, she would jump at any odd thing. She wasn't superstitious, she _didn't_ think it was a ghost.

"I'm losing my damn mind," she muttered before turning and marching up the stairs to the park.

A tranquil stillness hung over the area, totally different from the hair raising atmosphere on the farm. She wasn't sure what that difference was but she could feel it even as she neared the community center. It didn't look terribly different from her visit the other night, still every bit as crumbling and dilapidated. An image of the round, green creature flitted through her head, shrouded in the haze of alcohol, and made her wonder if she really had seen it. But she wasn't the hallucinating type.

 _Or the type that believes in ghosts!_

She kicked a rock, launching it across the field. Something in this valley was messing with her head. There weren't ghosts on her farm and there weren't tiny, spherical spirits in the community center. She was going to put it to rest so she could stop thinking about the stupid things. She marched up to the front door, reached out for the doorknob and…

"Hey Cecilia, what are you up to?"

She turned to see Alex jogging towards her, wearing a muscle tank, shorts, and covered in sweat.

"Just needed to take a break from the farm. My blisters are all starting to pop," she replied holding up her raw hands.

"Oh man, that's pretty bad," he said taking her hand like she'd held up her phone to show him a picture. "I used to get blisters like that forever ago when I started lifting."

She pried her hand away and turned back to the door.

"Are you going in there? I thought Lewis locked this place up a long time ago," he said.

"He unlocked it the other night, said I could go in and "deal with the rat problem" if I wanted," she said using air quotes.

"It's probably got a little more than a rat problem," he said, glancing up at the building.

"No kidding."

She pushed the door open and walked inside, finding it mostly the same as it had been the night she visited with Mayor Lewis. Now that she wasn't drunk she noticed the faint sound of wind rushing through the building; odd considering it wasn't windy outside.

"Wow, I haven't been in here in years. It looks awful," Alex said, lifting a rotting plank with the toe of his shoe.

"When did it get shut down?" she asked.

"When I was like ten. It was right after Mr. Reed… er - your grandfather died."

"Hmm," was the only answer she could manage. It was odd to think Alex probably spent more time around her grandfather than she had.

She walked down the hallway to the left to find a doorway on either side and a large room at the end. In the doorway to her left was a wooden beam blocking the entire entrance, leaving no room to even attempt to squeeze by. She grabbed a section of the beam and tried to deadlift it to no avail. She sucked in a deep breath and went at it again, driving her heels into the ground but to the same result. The skin on her hands bunched up painfully from the force so she took a step back and stretched them out. It didn't seem to be that the crossbeam was too heavy, just that it was jammed at an awkward angle. She kicked it a few times and it still didn't budge.

"What's in there?" Alex asked.

"No clue," she replied.

"Let's find out then, I can move that no problem."

Cecilia rolled her eyes. "It's pretty much -"

Alex heaved the beam up and dumped it into the room.

"Stuck," she finished.

He gave her a smarmy grin and puffed out his chest. She scoffed and pushed passed him to enter the room. Very little filled the space, a few piles of firewood and an empty bookshelf and the one window boarded up. In the dim lighting, her eyes focused in on a soft glow in the middle of the room. She furrowed her brow, it just looked like a rolled up piece of paper. Where was the light coming from? She walked over to the scroll and lifted it up, expecting to see floor lighting or something underneath, but to her shock, it was the paper itself that glowed.

"What is that?" Alex asked.

"I have no idea."

It could be a bioluminescent fungus but she turned the paper over and it seemed clean. She unfurled it and found strange characters written on the inside, not even close to any language she'd ever seen.

"Do you recognize this?" she asked, holding it up for Alex to see.

"Nope."

"It looks like writing, but I've never seen anything like it."

"You should ask Penny, I bet she'd know."

Cecilia pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the odd symbols, not wanting to take something that didn't belong to her. Alex walked back into the hall while she continued to poke around the room. Nothing else stood out like the scroll, in fact, everything else in the room was covered in a thick layer of dust. She started to think maybe the scroll was the work of Abigail or even Vincent and Jas. Lewis had said the two kids played in the building.

"What the hell is that?" Alex exclaimed.

Cecilia shot to her feet and bolted out of the room. He threw an arm up to stop her from moving past him. She peered around his shoulder to see one of the little, round creatures scuttling across the floor.

"Can you see that thing too?" she demanded.

"Yeah! What is it?"

"I don't know!"

The creature scampered into the hut, prompting Alex to walk over to it and peer inside.

"I can't see anything," he said.

"You're going to get your hand bit off if you stick it in there," she said.

"It looked pretty harmless."

"So do a lot of poisonous frogs."

Alex retracted his hand, thinking better of risking it.

"Have you seen that thing before?" he asked.

"Yeah, the other night after we played pool. I thought I was just drunk enough to start hallucinating or something."

"What do you think they are?" he asked.

She shrugged. "An undiscovered species of gastropod? Or amphibian what with the legs."

"Gastropod?"

"You know, snails and slugs."

"It looked like an alien to me," he said.

"Also a possibility at this point."

She walked over to the fireplace and looked up at the carved stone slab hanging over the mantle. Did her grandfather stand here when the building wasn't as much of a wreck? Lewis said he'd been fond of it. She shoved her hands in her pockets as her chest constricted at the sudden influx of bittersweet memories of her grandfather and his twice a year visits to the city.

"I swear if Joja gets this place," she said, not really sure what she'd do besides be impotently angry.

"Why would Joja want this?" Alex asked.

"Who knows. Lewis said Morris has been trying to buy the place off of him for a while."

"I'm sure you're dying to have more Joja in the valley," he said.

She scoffed. "Oh yeah, definitely."

"I feel like the ghost of Mr. Reed would appear and haunt the hell out of the place if Morris bought it," he said. "I mean, your grandpa."

"I wish I could do something about it. There's just no way I could patch this place up and run a farm."

"Yeah, it'd take an army to fix everything," he said, gesturing to the general state of disrepair.

"And a lot of money," she added.

With a final glance around the room, she started moving towards the door and Alex followed behind her. When she opened the front door a rush of fresh air flooded in making her realize how stagnant it was inside. The sun sat higher in the sky, ushering in a warm spring day, and a few people were up and about - Demetrius taking soil samples, Shane on his way to Joja. She waved at Shane as he walked by and he barely gave a head nod in return. It was hard not to pity him, she knew his suffering all too well.

"Well that was a fun break from my workout, but I have to get back to it. You know, just to stay in a routine. I don't know how much I actually need it at this point," Alex said.

She couldn't decide how serious he actually was so she opted to just give him a deadpan stare.

"What? I've more than got a spot on the Tunnelers."

"And I'm sure hundreds of other guys are thinking the same thing," she retorted.

"You seemed to think I could do it the other night at Stardrop," he said in a "gotcha" tone.

"I do think you _could_ make it. Doesn't mean you shouldn't take training seriously."

"If you saw my training you'd know I'm set," he said, crossing his arms.

She couldn't decide if he actually bought into what he was saying or if he was using such aggressive cockiness as a cover for some sort of insecurity. The defensive body language wasn't helping him.

"When do you think you're going to try out?" she asked.

His shoulders slumped slightly. "I was going to try out this summer but Grandpa's health hasn't been great lately and I don't want to leave Granny to take care of him by herself. So I'm not sure right now."

She wasn't expecting that.

"Is it just you and your grandparents then?"

"Yeah. I'm sure you've seen them around. Granny is always gardening and Grandpa is the only guy in town in a wheelchair," he said.

Cecilia vaguely recalled the two he described, but she wasn't sure she'd talked to either of them. She wanted to ask what the story behind that was but she certainly didn't know him well enough to pry, so she let it go.

"At least you have more time to train," she said.

"True," he replied.

An awkward silence descended on them as the natural flow of the conversation ground to a halt. They both glanced around the park, searching for anything to talk about.

"Hey, you should work out with me sometime," he said.

"What makes you think I can keep up with you?" She asked. "I think I'd just hold you back."

She meant it. She was pretty fit herself but she still got the sense that Alex would pummel her

"Well tomorrow is an easy day so I think you'd be fine. Unless you're like, a really slow runner."

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Just some running on the beach, nothing too crazy."

Cecilia groaned. "You're willingly choosing to run on sand? Sounds like _you're_ crazy."

"You're telling me you do all that farm work by yourself and you're getting scared of some jogging on the beach?" he said, leaning down so he could look her right in the eye.

"Alright, alright, I'll meet you at the beach tomorrow," she said, holding up her hands in surrender.

"Sweet! I'll be there at seven a.m., see you then!" he exclaimed.

He waved over his shoulder and then jogged off towards his house. Cecilia smiled and shook her head, he wasn't exactly who she thought she'd be making friends with but she wasn't about to complain about a workout partner.

She didn't rush her trek back to the farm, stopping to make polite small talk with Jodi - Sam's mom - along the way. When she arrived on her property she found the creepy atmosphere gone, replaced by the drone of insects and a slight breeze, and a letter waiting in her mailbox.

* * *

Cecilia stared blankly at the wall, trying to convince herself the last three hours had actually happened; all from that letter - from an M. Rasmodius who claimed to have "information about the rat problem" in the community center. Stupidly, she assumed that nothing could be stranger than seeing the tiny, green creatures and having Alex confirm their existence. She was immediately proven wrong when Rasmodius summoned one of the creatures, called it a junimo, and then gave her a potion that supposedly allowed her to read their language.

 _She took what amounted to drugs from a man named Rasmodius who called himself a wizard._ All of her willpower leaving her at once, she slumped back in her seat, cold tea sloshing out of her mug and onto her pants.

"Ugh, damnit."

She stood up and walked over to her dresser to get out a clean pair of pants. After changing she tossed the tea soaked pair into her dirty laundry pile, adding one more thing she would have to wash by hand. A wave of irritated anger took root in her chest, making everything around her instantly more annoying. She didn't want magic, she just wanted to run her farm. The cabin suddenly seemed far too small and she stormed outside and snatched up her pickaxe to take out her anger on a boulder. What the hell was wrong with her? She was a rational person. She didn't buy into the concept of spirits or magic.

 _But you took drugs from a wizard!_

She stomped to a nearby boulder and heaved a powerful swing at the rock, chipping off a large section.

"The power of forest magic, pah!" she spat.

She wound up for another swing only for the image of Rasmodius teleporting out of his tower and appearing back through his front door to pop in her head. It had to have been a trick, some behind the scenes smoke and mirrors. She hadn't moved herself from the big city to a magic valley.

 _But you know you saw all of that. You're lying to yourself so you don't have to accept the fact that all of those things really exist._

She put down her pickaxe before sitting on the boulder and resting her head in her hands. How was she supposed to deal with this? She moved to Stardew Valley to start a farm, not get tangled up in magic.

A thought flickered through her mind and she pulled her phone from the side pocket on her pants. There was no way this would work. She opened the picture of the scroll and wasn't quite sure how to process what she saw. Across the top of the page, she could read "Crafts Room" and the rest was filled with several lists, referred to as bundles, of various foragable plants and materials. The spring foraging bundle caught her eye, as everything on the list she had collected in abundance; wild horseradish, daffodil, leek, and dandelion. Words Rasmodius read to her echoed through her mind.

 _We, the Junimos, are happy to aid you. In return, we ask for gifts of the valley. If you are one with the forest then you will see the true nature of this scroll._

"Happy to aid you. What does that mean?" she muttered.

Thinking back to her first encounter with the junimos, she couldn't recall giving off the impression that she needed help.

Oh!

She had mentioned Joja buying the place to Alex and how she wished she had the time and resources to fix it. Would these junimos repair the community center in exchange for fruits and vegetables? It made about as much sense to her as the junimos existing at all so she supposed it was possible. And she already had everything in the spring foraging bundle so it wouldn't exactly hurt to see what happened.

Cecilia shook her head and picked up her pickaxe. "What the hell is my life turning into?"


	5. In the Dark

Cecilia found herself questioning her sanity as she sat on the floor of the community center at six in the morning with a bag of vegetables and a glowing scroll. Something inside her couldn't commit to actually delivering things to the junimos, it was just too strange. And she got the feeling that once she started the process she would have to see it through until the end. It was still early enough that she could get up, leave, and never think of the strange little creatures again. She rubbed her eyes, really trying to get a grip on the fact that Alex had corroborated their existence. She had moved from Zuzu to Pelican Town to find peace and some sense of calm. This was decidedly too weird to let her be calm and that was all she really wanted after years of working for Joja.

"Fucking Joja," she muttered and massaged her temples.

If the community center remained in its present state Lewis would sell it to Joja, giving them another foothold in the valley and her life. And on top of that her grandfather had been fond of the place. She couldn't call herself his granddaughter without trying to stop them from getting it.

"Ah, what the hell."

She upturned her bag and poured the collection of plants on the floor - dandelions, leeks, horseradishes, and daffodils - and sorted them into little piles. Part of her expected them to vanish in a flash of light and sparkles and all the cobwebs would disappear. But nothing happened. And the longer she sat there, listening to the wind, the more she got the sense that she was an enormous idiot. What in Yoba's name had she really thought was going to happen? Did she really think the junimos were going to help her, as if they actually understood her, based on the what a self-proclaimed _wizard_ told her? She shot to her feet, leaving the plants on the ground and stalked out of the room.

"Cecilia Reed you are a moron," she muttered.

All that talk of not believing in magic or the supernatural and yet she was in the community center at the crack of dawn, expecting something to happen. But just as she made it to the foyer an army of junimos flooded out of the hut, breaking around her ankles like she was a rock in a stream. Cecilia stopped dead. Their tiny, pealing chirps filled the silence and she stood there numbly watching them run into the room she'd just left. After a moment, they returned, carrying the plants over their heads and ran back into the hut. Several remained out in the open, hopping up and down and chirping excitedly. She couldn't think how she was supposed to react to such an event so she just rubbed the back of her neck and stared at them.

Then, a blue junimo emerged from the hut holding a little, cloth sack over its head and scuttled to her before dropping it at her feet. Cecilia picked it up and pulled open the drawstring, revealing several handfuls of seeds. So the junimos were helping her in return for delivering them vegetables. She let her head loll back and squeezed her eyes shut as if it would help her contain her disbelief.

 _You're doing favors for forest sprites!_

The blue junimo tugged on the ankle of her pants, pulling her back down the west hallway. She flung her arms out, baffled.

"What is it?" she asked the tiny creature.

It hopped down the hall but went into the room on the right side. She shook her head before following it. The room was much smaller than the other, maybe a quarter of the size but packed with dusty, cobweb-filled shelves and barrels in various states of decay. Sitting on the floor in front of a shelf was another glowing scroll. The junimo gestured at it and chirped excitedly.

"There's more?" she found herself asking.

The junimo gave a trill that sounded affirmatory. She shook her head again before picking it up. This one detailed several bundles of crops and farm animal products, the spring one listed a few of the things she had growing currently. She pulled out her phone and took a picture of it for future reference as it listed summer and fall crops as well. She would need to make a spreadsheet to lay it all out and make sure she got everything. The junimo bounced a few times before starting out of the room. Without really thinking, she put the scroll down and followed.

It showed her four more scrolls scattered about the community center, listing more bundles of various items. The one in the fish tank, of course, required a few dozen species of fish. She didn't know a single thing about fishing but the one that really worried her, even more so than the one that listed a _gold bar_ , was the Adventurer's Bundle. Slime and bat wings were strange enough but she had never even heard of solar essence or void essence.

"I get the feeling I'm going to get hurt or killed getting this stuff," she said to the junimo who just blinked at her.

With a picture of each of the scrolls she made for the front door. The junimos pealed excitedly, making the dilapidated building seem less dreary. She was trying desperately not to really think about what was going on, lest she have some sort of mental break and flee back to Zuzu. Whatever the junimo's deal was couldn't be nearly as bad as her time in Zuzu had been.

She reached for the doorknob only to stop an inch away and call over her shoulder, "thank you."

A symphony of chirping answered her as she stepped outside and closed the door. She stuffed the pouch of seeds into her bag and continued towards town. Without giving herself a chance to stop and think she hurried across the park and bounded down the stairs two at a time. The main stretch of Pelican Town provided a feeling of normalcy, it's well-kept buildings were so opposite of the community center it gave her a sense of security that more nonsense wouldn't occur. Well, more borderline mystical nonsense at least, considering she was about to go on a run with Alex. She forced her mind to wander away from the junimos and consider why she had thought it was a good idea to agree to work out with a guy who was trying to make it on the Tunnelers. She didn't know what position he played but if he was even close to the physical prowess of the pros she was going to get her ass kicked.

As she continued on, Pelican Town started to wake up; Pierre pinned several fliers to the bulletin board outside his shop, Evelyn was gardening in the flower beds, and Penny sat on a bench near the Stardrop reading. Shane came around the corner from Sam's street, wearing his Joja uniform which included the absolutely beat down, defeated expression she'd worn during her time with the company. She waved at him and he returned it with a nod of acknowledgment. Part of her wanted to reach out to him, but the former Joja employee part of her knew that he just wanted to be left alone to get through his shift. A frown crawled across her face and a low burning anger filled her gut. The idea of Joja getting more influence in this town after she'd taken such a drastic measure to get away was repugnant. Even if she hadn't made up her mind on what the junimos were or why they were helping her, she decided at that moment she would finish their bundles if for no other reason than to spite Joja.

She crossed the bridge over the river which gave way to a dirt path. The foliage grew thick and crowded, blocking her view of the beach but the faintest sound of waves was able to reach her. She continued on into the shadowy forest, finding barely any underbrush due to the dense canopy. The waves grew louder and sand encroached into the dirt and after a few moments of walking, she emerged onto the beach.

As if the rest of the valley wasn't scenic enough the view before her was the definition of picturesque. Navy blue water sparkled in the morning sun and met with a golden sand beach in gentle waves. To her left, a homely cabin sat against the treeline and beyond it tidepools scattered the beach. In front of her, built over the water, was a series of wooden piers and a nautical themed building, the poles supporting it covered in barnacles. She lifted a hand to block out the sun and just stared at the horizon, it had been years since she'd been to a beach. A faint memory of a family vacation when she was very little surfaced but it was indistinct and hazy.

"Heads up Cecilia!" a voice called out.

She whipped around to see a gridball hurling at her in a perfect spiral. Not wanting to take it in the face again she dashed backward and stretched out her arms. The ball bounced off her open hands with a stinging smack and dropped to the sand. At least it wasn't her face.

"You have to absorb the ball," Alex said, scooping up the object in question. "You don't catch it out here, you catch it close to your body."

He pantomimed the movement of bringing his arms to his torso to hold the ball against his side. She took a few steps back and held open her arms, indicating that she wanted a second try. He backed up as well before sending a gentle toss her way that flew easily into her arms.

"There you go!"

She passed it back in a wobbly arc. Alex barely looked at the ball as he caught it, instead he watched her with scrutinizing focus.

"Not bad, but you want to roll your fingers off the ball when you release it," he said. "The last thing touching it should be your pointer finger, that's what gets you the spiral."

He tossed it back and she returned it with another shaky arc, not quite wrapping her head around what he was saying.

"You've got good form with the actual throw," he said, sending the ball back to her. "But you're just launching it out of your hand instead of spinning it if that makes sense."

"Maybe?" she replied.

She focused hard on adding a spin to her throw, wound up, and hurled it. It flipped end over end and about ten feet to Alex's right. With seemingly minimal effort he stepped under it and snatched it out of the air with one hand. She was starting to think he was as good as he claimed if he could catch her terrible throw with such ease.

"I guess I don't get it," she stated, putting her hands on her hips.

"Don't feel too bad, it's not the easiest thing in gridball," he said, jogging back to her. "Haley can't even throw it."

Cecilia couldn't say she was surprised. Alex put the ball in her hands and positioned himself behind her, barely a few inches away. He pressed his right hand over hers and lifted her arm into a throwing position like she was a marionette doll. She could feel his breath on her neck and how calloused his hands were and only then it occurred to her that he was a _really_ big guy.

"So you want to use your fingers to create spin when you release it. Your pinky goes first and your pointer should be last," he said, pressing down on each of her fingers like piano keys.

He wound up her arm and then shot it forward in a throw. Her fingers released all at once from the ball and it flopped onto the ground.

"I had a problem like this with javelin throwing in high school. My coach had to beat a proper crossover into me," she said, shaking her head.

"You did field?" he asked, eyes lighting up with interest.

"Yeah, I got recruited by Zuzu University for throwing. So this is kind of embarrassing," she said, tossing the ball up and down. "It's just so light. And you just kind of heave a shot put, none of this spinning stuff."

"Oh man, we _have_ to get you to throw right!" he exclaimed. "I bet you have a monster arm!"

She shuffled and have half a shrug. "I mean, probably."

"Come on, don't be so modest! That's no fun," he said, taking the ball back.

"I think Pelican Town only needs one cocky jock type," she countered.

"Aww, now you're just being mean," he said, his voice not carrying an ounce of seriousness. "Let me see if I can fix your grip, act like you're going to throw it again."

She lifted her arm into a throwing position and he pushed the ball forward in her hand so she was holding it by the back half. He nodded before backing up into throwing range. She wound up again, thinking of just spinning the ball, and threw it. It lacked the sharpness of Alex's throws, but it spiraled right to him.

"There you go!" he exclaimed. "If I keep teaching you, you'll be the second best gridball player in the valley in no time.

She chuckled. "I don't know if I have that kind of time."

She glanced at her watch which read 7:20 and a mild sense of anxiety rose in her chest. She had planned on being back at the farm by 8:30 but with the run not even underway she was probably going to be late.

"You have somewhere to be?" he asked.

"Yeah, I have a farm to run," she said, stretching her quad. "So if you want to do this run we should get going."

"So impatient," he said, gesturing for her to come over to him. "Alright, let's see if you can keep up."

With a skipping step he jumped right into the run and she scrambled after him. He led them west, away from the cabin and tide pools and down a long strip of beach. The forest climbed up the cliff face that rose to their right and was littered with depressions and caves that had been carved out by water. The sand immediately gave her trouble and she fought to generate the explosive power to propel her forward. Alex cruised easily next to her, his breathing even and controlled and his form relaxed. But she fell into his rhythm and pressed on.

The sun beat down on them, which she was actually grateful for as it made him sweat as much as she was, hiding that she was definitely having to try harder than him. But it wasn't all bad; the beach was beautiful, the temperature mild, and Alex pushed her which she found she had missed. It had been a while since someone pushed her in a sport and her enjoyment of it came rushing right back.

They continued down the beach for twenty-five minutes until he turned them around and at the thirty-eight minute mark her legs really started burning. Alex still showed no signs of fatigue beyond his flushed red face. Finally, the main area of the beach came back into view and she caught a small second wind.

As they closed into the last few hundred meters Alex said, "I'll race you to Elliott's house."

She wasn't sure what possessed her to agree to the challenge but she heard herself say "sure."

"Alright, three, two, one, go!"

They both shot forward and to her shock she hung with him for the first few seconds, flying right next to him. Then the burning became too much and her legs slowed and he pulled away. With mechanical efficiency, he sprinted to the cabin and stopped on a dime to not slam into the building. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath but was somehow able to cheer her on.

"Come on Cecilia! Don't stop now!"

Her heart leaped at the encouragement and she dug deep and sprinted hard, her lungs burning like she had sucked down acid. She closed the distance and plodded to a stop just short of slamming into the cabin, her lungs and legs on fire and a metallic taste in the back of her throat. Alex clapped her on the shoulder before she put her hands on her quads and doubled over, sucking in air.

"Jog my ass," she said in an accusatory tone.

Alex scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, that was a bit faster than I meant."

"Ugh, I'm going to pay for that tomorrow," she said, stepping into a lunge to stretch.

The soft sand had not been kind to the muscles in her legs and she could already feel the soreness building for tomorrow. The idea of weeding or cleaning the barn with DOMS was an awful one.

"You could go to the spa, the hot tub always helps after hard workouts," he said, also going into a lunge.

"There's a spa?" she asked, switching legs.

"Yeah, up by the train tracks. It's a little old but it's not too bad," he said, vaguely gesturing to the north.

"I think you underestimate how much work it takes to run a farm by yourself," she said.

He bent one arm behind his head to stretch his shoulder, lifting the hem of his shirt and flashing his abs.

"I could help you," he said.

"Oh no, I've got it under control," she said.

"Sure, if you count not having a social life under control," he retorted playfully.

She stood up straight and folded her arms over her chest, giving him a stern look.

"What? It's true. You're the only person I never see around town. Even Sebastian will leave his cave occasionally," he said.

Without saying anything they both started walking back towards town and she still couldn't come up with a good excuse for her hermit-like nature.

"I wasn't exactly wildly social in Zuzu, it's just how I am," she said.

"Well you moved to a new place, time to shake things up!" he said with a borderline annoying amount of enthusiasm.

She gave a long pause before saying, "we'll see."

They crossed over the bridge and headed towards town in silence, just taking in the morning atmosphere. Pelican Town was so quiet and open, a change from Zuzu she still found jarring. People were milling about and leisurely walking to work which was such a far cry from the bustling, pushing, and shoving that she was used to that she found herself matching Alex's meandering pace without the usual irritation it would have brought.

"Hey Cecilia!" a voice called out.

She turned to see Sam rocketing towards them on a skateboard wearing a Joja uniform. He slowed as he approached them but didn't stop.

"I'm gonna be late for work but good to see you finally!" he said, kicking up his speed again.

"Good to see you too," she answered.

She could feel Alex's smug smile as he added another bullet to his stockpile of "Cecilia has no social life" evidence and she gave him another stoney glance. He didn't say anything but his grin definitely said: "I told you so." When they reached the main plaza of town they stopped, Cecilia needing to go west to her farm and Alex back home to help his grandfather.

"We should do this again sometime, it was fun," he said.

She didn't dislike the idea, but the farm and junimo bundles weighed on her mind. "Maybe once the farm is more stable."

"Or you could just let me help you, then you'd have more spare time," he said, nudging her in the ribs with his elbow.

"My grandfather ran the farm on his own, I think I can manage," she said.

He gave her a skeptical look. "If you insist."

"Well, I'm going to head back," she said. "See you around."

"I'll count on it!" he replied.

They both waved before turning and getting on with their days. Cecilia returned to her usual quick walking pace and pressed towards the farm, the sounds of town fading behind her. It was nearly 9:30 by the time she made it back, over three hours later than her usual starting time for the day. Not wanting a vicious sunburn, she changed into a boxy t-shirt and work pants before picking back where she'd left off on the clearing process the night before. Her mindset thus far had been clear as much as possible as fast as possible so she hadn't bothered surveying the entire property or getting any sort of acreage count. She knew she had to have at least three acres of farmable land and probably closer to six to really be doing well. So bare minimum she needed to clear just over one hundred and thirty thousand square feet.

She wondered how Alex would feel about clearing three gridball fields worth of trees, grass, and rocks as she drove her ax into a pine. The thought was appealing, as she would be able to get it done twice as fast, but this was her farm. Her _grandfather's_ farm. She had to know if she could do right by him, if he was right to leave it to her. The pine fell with a crash and she moved to chop it into firewood-sized logs. If she could land a job as a budget analyst for Joja at twenty-three she could certainly manage to run Night Owl Farm.

A few hours later her aching arms decided that she was done chopping trees for the day so she retired the ax and picked up her basket to go foraging. Cindersap forest had been a steady source of food since she had first moved to the valley so she headed south, trying to ignore the grimy pond she still hadn't dealt with. As she passed by Marnie's Ranch she fantasized about owning a herd of cows or a coop full of chickens, for some reason that seemed like the milestone for being a "real" farmer. But for now, she needed to focus on feeding herself so she turned her attention to the abundance of green vegetation smattered with bright colors before her. Salmonberries grew in ruby red clusters on nearly half the bushes and pastel wildflowers covered the ground wherever sunlight broke through the canopy. Bird song filled the air along with the occasional rustling of leaves in the breeze. Just like at the beach, she felt as though she had walked into a watercolor painting. It was almost like some terribly cliched romantic comedy where the overworked lead moved out of the city and learned to find real happiness in life again. She grimaced, realizing that's _exactly_ what it was like and all she needed was the love interest.

Shaking her head she got to work harvesting salmonberries and dandelions, moving deeper into the forest as she went. Her mind wandered to her long list of tasks for the farm, trying to pick which ones to prioritize when all of them seemed equally important. Cleaning and repairing the barn and coops would allow her to care for animals, but clearing more land would allow her to plant more crops. And then there were the junimo's bundles; she was going to have to learn to fish and somehow produce copper, iron, and gold bars. She still had no idea where she was supposed to get slime or void essence.

"Hi Cecilia," a voice called out, breaking her unfettered train of thought.

She turned to find Leah, camped out under a giant tree, waving at her with a paintbrush in hand and a pad of paper on her lap.

"Hi Leah," she replied and walked towards her.

"What are you up to?" she asked.

"Just foraging for some dinner," she said, jostling her basket.

Leah nodded with a knowing smile. "One of the best perks of living in the valley."

"Oh good, I was worried I was the only eating weeds," she said, holding up a handful of dandelions.

"No way, it's a great food source. Nothing like the junk you get in the city," she said.

"Did you used to live in Zuzu?" Cecilia asked.

"Yeah, years ago. I moved out here to really pursue my art, which is kind of cliche," she said with a chuckle.

"I'm not judging. At least you had a career path, I moved out here with zero farming experience," Cecilia replied, walking over to a patch of morel mushrooms growing about fifteen feet from Leah.

"How is your farm doing?" she asked.

"Alright, for now, we'll see what I think after the first harvest though," Cecilia replied.

Leah chuckled. "It sounds like painting, sometimes you think it's going horribly but you just have to see it through to the end."

"Very true," Cecilia agreed.

The conversation lulled and the sounds of the forest filled the silence. Leah continued her painting and Cecilia collected a small mound of morels before returning to the salmonberry bushes. After several comfortable moments of working, Leah spoke again.

"Are you going to the Flower Dance?" she asked, not looking up from her work.

"The what?"

"We have a big dance to celebrate the end of spring, it's supposedly been going on since Pelican Town was founded. I think it's the twenty-fourth of next month," she said.

That was really close to what would be her last and biggest harvest of the season. She couldn't imagine going to a dance with the "success or failure" cloud hanging over her head.

"I don't know, that's going to be a busy time for me," she said.

"True," Leah conceded. "You should really think about going though. The town events are a great way to get to know everyone."

"There are others?"

Leah swirled her paintbrush in her cup of increasingly blue water. "Oh yeah, lots. The Egg Festival was a few weeks back but my favorite is Spirit's Eve in the fall."

Cecilia dropped another handful of salmonberries into the basket. It would probably be a good idea to go to the dance as it was an easy way to integrate herself into the community, something she hadn't been doing. Her last real excursion had been her visit to the bar with Harvey weeks ago. And then Alex couldn't give her shit for not having a social life.

"I'll have to see how the farm is doing then but I'll try to go," she said.

"Great! I'll be looking for you there," Leah replied.

She spent another twenty minutes gathering plants before bidding Leah farewell and heading back for the farm. By the time she made it to the cabin, her stomach was growling like an angry dog, but the sweat and grime accumulated on her during the day had reached critical mass so she took a shower first. As she was digging out sweatpants from the dresser she caught sight of herself in the mirror placed atop it. The lines of her abs stood out more and the bulk of her arms had shrunk, undoubtedly due to the diet solely of foraged food. But the constant physical labor kept most of her muscle mass from the gym intact. She turned, admiring the effects of the unintentional cut but was also glad she didn't have access to a squat rack to see how far her numbers had fallen.

Almost an hour later she was sitting at her table, reading a book on crop rotation and soil management, eating a salad of chickweed, dandelion, and sauteed morels. While cooking everything over a fire admittedly made everything taste better, it took forever to make even simple foods. After eating she had no desire to do the dishes so she opted to take another lap around the crop field before going to bed.

She grabbed her flashlight and phone and walked outside. The sun had dipped below the horizon over an hour ago and night had fully set in. Light from the house allowed her to see the first few rows of crops but everything beyond that faded into darkness. She walked down the steps and out around her field, sweeping the beam of light back and forth, checking for stray roots and rocks. The air hung heavy with humidity and occasionally bats swooped overhead, snatching up some of the plentiful insects. Then, like she had walked into a fridge, the air around her was cold. Not a cool breeze as the wind was still, just cold space. She backed up several paces and the muggy, warm spring air returned. A sense of unease crawled up her spine and she tightened her grip on her flashlight. She stepped forward and found the cold spot again.

 _This isn't right._

The hair on the back of her neck and arms stood up and she shuddered. She flicked the flashlight across the treeline, searching but also desperately hoping not to see anything. Something was there watching her, she could feel it deep in her gut. Every other living thing on the farm seemed to be able to feel it too as an unnatural silence swept over the property. The bats went quiet, the rustling of the trees stopped, and even the bugs stopped their calls. She tried to swallow but the muscles in her throat had clenched shut, she didn't think she could scream if she wanted to.

RRREEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

A long, bloodcurdling screech ripped through the air like a lightning bolt and echoed across the farm. Her heart jolted and her pulse skyrocketed but her body totally froze. Fear locked her bones in a vice grip and the voice screaming in her head to run was powerless against it. Everything remained unnaturally still. The only thought that occurred to her was that if she moved and broke the stillness the _thing_ out there would kill her immediately. So there she stood like a deer in headlights, her heart slamming against her ribcage.

The moments dragged on, long and slow, as the presence seemed to move on and the paralyzing panic abated. Control over her body returned to her and she dashed for the house, her back prickling with the feeling that something was going to leap out and stab her. She flung the door open and slammed it behind her before shoving a chair under the doorknob. Her hands shook and her pulse still hammered in her ears. The walls of the cabin seemed pathetically thin and the windows now only served as portals into the dark void of the night.

Her mind raced at a million miles an hour as she suffered and intense paradigm shift. If the friendly junimos were real, it stood to reason that something more malevolent could be as well. A crack tore through her city oriented mindset very suddenly and filled her with dread. There was real danger out here and she was on her own to fend it off. If something as plain as a cougar or coyote showed up she was going to have to be the one to deal with it; Pelican Town, on top of being far from her property, didn't seem to have any police. The realization that, despite all of her careful planning, she was actually woefully lacking in the self-defense department hit her with a genuine sense of fear. Despite the cost, she would have to get a dog as soon as possible. And a gun. She'd never even handled one before but she didn't want to have to fend off a rabid animal or worse with a baseball bat.

She knew sleep wasn't going to come for a long time, her normal insomnia given a shot in the arm by whatever was lurking outside. So she threw more wood in the fire and started a slow, relaxed rock playlist on her laptop, the music filling the cabin and driving away a bit of the sense of vulnerability. For the first time since moving to Stardew Valley, she found herself wishing that she wasn't alone on her farm.


	6. An Assist

Chapter 6: An Assist

After two and a half weeks without a sign of Cecilia, Alex was starting to wonder how she spent so much time alone on her farm. As far as he'd heard all she did was work, and even with his own pro athlete aspirations couldn't imagine not taking at least a few breaks. She hadn't been back to the Stardrop and hadn't even taken him up on another run, which bummed him out as he really felt like he was starting to form a connection with her. At least, something better than just hitting her in the face with a gridball.

But he also couldn't come up with a good reason to go see her without seeming weird. He couldn't shake the notion that she would grill him if he just showed up on the farm and tell him to stop wasting time if he didn't have an express purpose to be there. He'd even asked Pierre if he wanted anything delivered to Night Owl but he said Cecilia had been on top of everything so far.

So he ended his early morning run in the same place he started it, outside the community center with no ideas. Part of him hoped she would be back to see those little jelly creatures but the whole area was deserted. He set an easy pace home, making it back just after the sun had cleared the horizon. His grandparents were up and about so he made no effort to stop the heavy front door from slamming shut behind him.

"How was your run, dear?" his Granny called from the kitchen.

He beelined straight for the fridge to make a protein shake. "It was alright, nothing special. Looks like Joja is close to clearing the entrance to the mines, finally."

"Don't you go poking around in those caves," she said, jabbing him in the ribs with a wooden spoon. "Who knows what's down there."

"Don't worry, Granny, I don't plan on it," he said.

"When you're done, go help your grandfather, would you?" she asked, returning to the oven.

"Sure thing," he said before pounding the protein shake and then heading back to his grandparent's room.

George was up reading a newspaper when Alex walked in.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked.

"Eh," he scoffed. "My knee's been acting up again."

Alex took a button-down shirt and a pair of pants from the dresser and handed them to him. Despite his repeated offers for help, his grandfather wanted to retain every shred of independence he could and, even though it took longer, dressed himself. When he was finished, Alex held out an arm for support as he moved from the bed to his wheelchair. He wheeled himself out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen.

Granny had set out a plate of toast and scrambled eggs for each of them and joined them at the table when they arrived. They ate in silence for several moments, listening to the birds chirping outside the windows.

"I'm a little worried about our new farmer," Evelyn said. "I hardly ever see her."

"She's got a lot of work on her plate, that farm was a disaster before she showed up," George replied.

Evelyn shook her head and got up and walked into the kitchen before rattling through several cupboards and the fridge. After several moments she returned with a basket full to bursting with baked goods and preserves and tucked a checkered napkin over the contents.

"Run this over to her for me, would you?" she asked, handing him the basket.

"You got it," he said.

 _Thank you, Granny!_

"And don't let her try to turn it down," she said with a chuckle. "She'll be one of those stubborn, independent types if she's anything like her grandfather."

"Don't worry, I won't let her," he said before heading back out the door.

The rest of the town was starting to move; Lewis and Pierre were talking in front of the store, Sam was making his way to Joja Mart. He waved to Maru, who was walking up to the clinic and she waved back. It only took a few minutes of walking before he was leaving the main area of Pelican Town and entering the untamed forest surrounding it.

 _Stubborn, independent types._

Good thing Haley wasn't around to hear that or she never would have let it go. She had already ripped on him for doing his usual fleeting crush routine with the new girl, so she would have lost it if she heard his Granny pegging Cecilia as his type. He shook his head and continued on the dirt road by the old bus stop, trying to remember the last time the thing ran. It had been a while, just after Mr. Reed died, he thought.

Eventually, the weathered, wooden sign for Night Owl farm emerged through the shrubbery along with a rhythmic beating of metal against wood. He had to stop to fully take in the property, which had very recently been indistinguishable from the surrounding wilderness but now looked like a legit farm. Long rows of sprouting crops filled the entire open area in front of the cabin and off to the side a patch of tulips surrounded a beehive. An enormous pile of wood served as the only evidence of the trees that had once freely covered the plot.

"Hey!" Cecilia called out to him.

He realized the thumping had been Cecilia chopping down more trees to the south, expanding the crop field.

"Hey!" he replied as she walked up to him.  
It wasn't until she got closer that he saw the heavy, purple bags beneath her eyes and that she was as pale as the belly of a fish despite all the work she'd clearly been doing.

"Good grief, have you slept at all this month?" he asked.

She glowered at him and hefted her ax onto her shoulder. "Did you come all this way just to ask me that?"

"Well that and Granny wanted me to give you this," he said, holding out the basket.

She took it and lifted the cloth napkin to reveal the plethora of food.

"Alex, I can't," she said trying to hand it back.

He held his hands up and took a step back. "No can do, Granny said to leave it with you whether you wanted it or not."

She sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Well, thank you. I really appreciate it. Let me put all this inside so you can at least take the basket back."

He followed her back through the lines of bean poles - an alarming amount really, for one person to set up in under two months - and up to the cabin.

"Oh damn, I forgot about the house," he said.

"What about it?" she asked.

"Mr. Reed used to live in a bigger house but it burned down, like, five or six years before he died so he just built… that," he said, gesturing to the cabin.

"Really? I had no idea," she said, genuinely surprised.

"He didn't tell you?"

Cecilia shook her head and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "No, my dad didn't like the farm so Grandpa never talked about it."

The faraway look on her face made him think there was a lot more going behind that statement but he wasn't going to pry, he didn't think he'd get much out of her asking point-blank. She went inside and returned a moment later with the empty basket.

"Thanks again, I really do appreciate it. I can't remember the last time I had carbs," she said.

"Oh man, don't tell me you've gone this whole time without bread," he said.

The sound of barking interrupted them and a big dog came flying out of the trees, chasing a squirrel.

"For the love of Yoba, stop!" Cecilia shouted. "What did I tell you about chasing animals?"

The dog - a black and brown shepherd looking mutt - was distracted by Cecilia just long enough for the squirrel to escape up a tree. She whistled which actually brought the dog over to her but he jumped up at her, his front paws reaching her shoulders.

"You have a dog?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, Marnie found him on her ranch and asked if I could take him," she said, pushing him down.

"What's his name?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Diogenes," she replied.

"Dio - what?"

"The philosopher," she said.

"Still have no idea who you're talking about."

"You know, "I fawn on those who give me anything, I yelp at those who refuse, and I set my teeth in rascals?"" she said, putting on a bit of a voice.

"And you lost me," he said.  
She grimaced. "I guess it was funnier in my head."

She sounded like she felt bad for the joke flopping but he was overcome with the sudden feeling that he was an idiot. She'd said it all so plainly like she'd been talking about a celebrity but he didn't think he'd ever heard the name _Diogenes_ before that moment.

"So, uh, what else have you been up to today?" she asked, pointedly avoiding eye contact.

"You know, the usual. Got a workout in, helped grandpa. You?" he said, trying to keep the conversation ball rolling.

She gestured at the field. "Farming. And dealing with Diogenes, I've never had a dog before, I'm not quite sure what to do with him," she said.

"Oohh, a shepherd is a rough breed to start with," he replied.

Diogenes barked proudly and Cecilia shook her head. "Oh good."

"Sounds like you have a lot on your plate," he said, hoping to prod her into talking more about it.

"I guess, I knew what I was getting myself into though," she replied.

He kicked a small rock, sending it bouncing across the ground. Whether she meant to or not she was going to make him work for everything.

"Maybe I could help you out with some stuff. Lighten your workload," he said.

"Oh no, I couldn't ask you to do that," she countered.

"Come on, I'm already here."

She jutted her hips to one side and rolled her gaze across the farm, contemplating. He could see the gears in her head turning as she probably tried to come up with a good reason to turn him down.

"Do you not have work or anything?" she asked.

 _There it was._

"Nope," he replied.

"Farm work isn't easy, I wouldn't want to wear you out," she tried.

"Cecilia, come on, I wouldn't offer if I didn't think I could handle it," he said.

She pushed out a long exhale and let the moment drag on, glancing between Diogenes and the crops.

"One thing," she said, holding up her index finger.

"Just show me the way," he replied.

She started towards the tree line she'd created and he set the basket on her porch before following. The ground leading up to the edge of the forest was littered with freshly tilled dirt in scattered circles from where she had cut down trees and dug up the stumps. Then she stopped at a particularly thick felled tree cut into sections before putting her hands on her hips and sighing.

"Robin told me to keep some of the big logs intact for the barn repairs but I can't move them on my own," she said.

"Well grab that end," he said, pointing to one end of a log. "We'll have this done in no time."

They each grabbed an end and hauled it off the ground and onto their shoulders. She led them back to the woodpile near the house where they dumped it before going back for another. In less than twenty minutes they moved the entire tree, barely breaking a sweat between the two of them.

"That was way easier than trying to balance them on the wheelbarrow," she said, wiping her hands on her pants.

"I would have paid to see that," he said.

"You'd be wasting your money, it was embarrassing," she said, shaking her head.

"You said you're saving the logs for the barn? Does it really need that much fixing?" He asked.

She scoffed. "Yeah, it's a wreck. Robin said she would have to do some pretty major repairs."

"That's nuts, Mr. Reed almost used to keep the barn in better shape than his house," he said.

"You want to see it? It's pretty bad," she said.

"Sure."

She led him south into the woods and Diogenes trotted alongside them. He had forgotten how big Night Owl farm was, it was much harder to wrap his head around now that it had gone without Mr. Reed's meticulous care for two decades. But Cecilia seemed to be trying her damndest to return it to its former state. When they passed by the overgrown, algae-filled pond he suddenly recalled swimming there with a few other kids from town. Cecilia was absent from the memory, though.

"Hey," he started. "How often did you visit the valley before? I can't remember when you came out here."

"Oh. I've, uh, never been. Before I moved out here anyway," she said, scratching the back of her neck.

"What!" he exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks. "You'd seriously never been out here before?"

"No, like I said, my dad hated the place so Grandpa just visited us in the city," she replied.

"But you decided to leave your job to start a farm you'd never seen before?" He continued.

"Yep," she said simply before continuing on.

 _Who the hell just says "yep" to that question?_

But he was sure that if he pushed her on that front she'd shut down and never tell him anything. However, she had divulged more information than he thought she intended; if she'd moved to the valley without ever visiting before she must have been desperate to get out of Zuzu.  
After several more minutes of walking through the densely packed trees, they came upon the barn. It was far more run-down than he expected, half of the front wall was caved in, all the windows smashed, and the roof completely torn off. It looked like it had been abandoned for eighty years, not twenty. Moss and lichen grew on every available surface and debris littered the ground surrounding it.

"Wow, that's pretty bad," he said.

"No kidding," she replied, kicking a stray plank of wood.

She walked into the main room of the structure and he followed. It looked like it would only take a stiff breeze to knock it down unless the lichen coating the walls was enough to keep it standing.

"What kind of animals did he keep?" She asked.

"Huh? Oh, all kinds. A lot of cows and pigs and a few chickens. He had a really mean goat that would headbutt anyone that wasn't him," he said. "Granny always said he had a way with animals."

A soft smile crossed her face. "That must have been Crabapple, I heard a few stories about her."

She walked into the remains of a stall that sat beneath a huge hole in the ceiling. With a little hop, she grabbed onto the edge of the hole and pulled herself up from a dead hang, the muscles in her back and arms bulging. He let out a sharp exhale before threading his fingers together and resting his hands on top of his head.

"You sure it's safe to do that?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's fine," she replied. "I've been up here before."

She padded across a plank bridging a gap in the ceiling, holding her arms out for balance. The rotting wood creaked and groaned under her weight and he followed beneath her, just able to see her through the gaps in the floor.

"Do you think you'll be able to get this fixed up enough for animals?" he asked, picking his way through the wreckage on the ground.

"Yeah, based on the price Robin gave me I think I can get a full repair by late fall," she said. "I might get the coops fixed earlier than that though."

"That soon?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, I've got a pretty solid plan laid out," she replied.

She must have run like a machine if she was that confident she could get the barn fixed up. If someone had dumped a farm on him he would have floundered for weeks with just the crops never mind trying to deal with livestock.

"Sounds like you're a natural farmer then," he said.

But Cecilia didn't answer. It didn't even sound like she was moving.

"Cecilia?" He called out.

CRACK

"Oh fuck," she muttered.

Another loud crack split the air and the floor where Cecilia was standing gave way. He lunged under her and braced his legs, briefly hoping she wouldn't just flatten him. But she didn't, he caught her like a superhero would catch a girl who'd been thrown off a building. It hurt more than it looked like it did in the movies but he'd cushioned her enough that at worst she'd have some bruises tomorrow. Cecilia looked stunned - she'd totally expected to hit the ground - and blinked several times before directing her gaze to him.

"Ah, thanks," she said, her voice unexpectedly soft.

All of his bravado left him at once and his knees went weak, threatening to collapse under their weight.

He gave a nervous half-grin. "Of course."

A moment of absolutely loaded silence passed between them, neither sure what to say. He wasn't sure what she was thinking but his brain was short-circuiting.  
"You look like you saw a ghost," was all he managed.

Her face went stone hard and shoulders rigid before pulling herself from his arms and standing up.

"The barn's just ancient and crumbling," she insisted. "There _aren't_ ghosts."

"Alright, alright, it's just a joke," he said.

She took it so seriously part of him thought she'd really seen a ghost, if not for the fact she seemed like the definition of a skeptic.

"Let's get out of here before the barn collapses or something," she said, not waiting for him.

He scrambled after her and she didn't stop until she reached her field of crops, her arms folded tightly across her chest like she was cold. Diogenes bounded up to her and headbutted her leg until she scratched behind his ears.

"Well that was exciting," he said, walking up next to her.

"Sure, let's call it that," she replied.

Despite her insistence that there weren't ghosts she looked thoroughly spooked, although he supposed anyone would after falling through the second story floor of a building.

"You know, I never really thought about how dangerous farming can be. Especially by yourself," he said.

She gave a sharp huff, seeming to realize why he was making that point.  
"Look, I appreciate the help, really. But I just wouldn't want to drag you into all the work that the farm involves," she said.

"I'm just saying if you let me help sometimes maybe you wouldn't look like you're about keel over at any second," he countered. "You don't have to hire me or anything."

She sighed before rubbing her eyes, seeming to crack under the exhaustion.

"Okay, sure, if you're really that determined," she said. "There are still some things that would be easier with two people that I have to deal with."

"Really? Awesome!" he exclaimed. "When do I start?"

"Well, I've got some other stuff to take care of but I plan to do another field clearing on Wednesday, so if you're free then," she said.

"I can do that," he said.

She cocked her head back slightly and gave him a serious look. "Then wear some sturdy shoes and come ready to work."

"You got it, boss."

Diogenes barked excitedly and jumped up at Alex, who gave him a firm knee in the chest to get him to back down.

"Maybe I can help you train wild man here too," he said.

She chuckled. "Yeah, that would probably be a good idea."

"Well let me get your number in case anything changes," he said, hoping he sounded casual enough that he wasn't just trying to come on to her.

"Sure," she said, pulling her phone from a side pocket on her pants and handing it to him.

He created a new contact and put in his name and number before handing it back. She sent him a message that just read "Cecilia Reed."

"Sweet," he said, creating a contact for her. "I guess I'll get going then, I've got a few errands to run for Pierre. And, you know, I have another workout to crush."

"Alright, alright, Mr. Quarterback," she said.

They started back towards the eastern entrance of the farm.

"You know I actually was a Quarterback for two years in high school? We won regional champs both times," he said.

"Oh so you _do_ have some results to back up all your smack-talking," she said teasingly.

"Hey! Did you think I was just all hot air?" He replied.

"Maybe," she said in a tone that left him split fifty-fifty on if she was serious or not.

But the corner of her mouth curled up and she glanced away from him, causing the sudden worry that she thought he was lame to dissipate.

"Well I'll make sure to get you tickets to the first pro game I play so you can really see what I can do," he said.

"I'll count on it," she said.

As they passed her house he grabbed the basket and she continued on with him to the edge of her property.

"Thank you again for your help. And for keeping me from breaking my legs," she said.

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving her off. "Try not to fall off anything for a few days, though."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll limit the death-defying stunts," she said.

With that, he started back towards town with more energy in his step than when he'd arrived. Before making it to the bus he looked over his shoulder to see her still standing by the farm entrance.

"I'll see you Wednesday!" he called out to her.

She just waved back at him with an unreadable expression on her face, neither excited nor irritated but frustratingly neutral. It almost didn't faze him though, as she was at least entertaining him for the time being. And he had her number.

* * *

AN: okay, so I wrote this chapter FOUR times. Like, the whole thing, 3k+ words, over and over, totally different each time. I feel good about this one though. I hope switching to Alex's perspective for some chapters alleviates some of my worries about the story dragging - I'm very not used to writing slice of life-ish stories.

Thank you so much for reading, any feedback is greatly appreciated.


	7. Confrontation

Chapter 7 - Confrontation

The sound of water hitting the floor launched Cecilia from her bed, thinking Diogenes was pissing on the rug again, only to discover it was raining and there was a hole in the ceiling. She dumped out the contents of her trash can and shoved it under the leak before collapsing on the floor next to it, still not fully awake. Diogenes trotted over and shoved his head in her lap so she haphazardly scratched his ears.

"Good morning to you too," she mumbled.

After a moment of listening to the rain she stood and ambled to the fireplace before fumbling over the kindling. It took her several strikes of flint on steel to produce a big enough spark to get the flames going and hung a pot of water off the crane mounted on the side wall. While she waited for it to boil she shuffled to the window to survey the storm blustering outside. The rain drove sideways and battered the trees and plants along with the whipping wind. Occasionally a flash of lightning lit up the darkened farm and a crack of thunder followed right after.

On the plus side she wouldn't have to water the crops - a tedious and exhausting job - but she also couldn't do much else either. Or at least she wasn't willing to get soaked to do any of it. The only task that remained was clearing out the shed behind the house. She rolled her shoulders back and picked up her rain boots but the second Diogenes realized what she was doing he jumped up at her, raking his claws over her shoulders.

"Down boy," she said, pushing him away.

She slipped out the door, closing it in her dog's face, and dashed to the shed. Somehow, the roof had less holes than that of her house but was packed to the ceiling with boxes and piles of stuff. She grabbed a stack of three wooden crates and scurried back inside, fending off Diogenes as he tried to make a break for it.

"You gotta calm down, bud," she said, before dumping the crates on the ground.

He bounced around her until he realized she wasn't going back out and relegated himself to pouting in the corner. She dropped a teabag in a mug and poured hot water over it before sitting down next to the crates. The lid of the first one slid off easily, revealing dozens of notebooks filling it to the brim, each layer older than the one before it. She picked one at random and flipped it open, leafing through the pages. It seemed like a journal of her grandfathers' activities through the seasons; long paragraphs, sketches, and old photographs filled every inch of paper. He experimented a lot with exotic crops and flowers with a decent amount of success.

Seeing the farm in its heyday really didn't do much to calm her nerves about being able to run it, the bar was so much higher than she pictured. Her father must have forcefully ejected any inclination towards agriculture from the bloodline before having her because the journal made her grandfather look like a savant. She shook her head and flipped the page to discover a sketch of a junimo.

"No way," she muttered.

There were several more pages detailing the junimos in faded watercolor but entirely lacking the meticulous notes the rest of the book contained. She rapidly flipped through the surrounding pages, scanning for any sign of information about the creatures but came up empty handed. Her heart pounded as she tossed the book to the side and plucked another from the box. But book after book failed to provide her with any new information. Rasmodius hadn't known why the junimos were posted up in the community center and it seemed like her grandfather was just going to add to the mystery.

She had moved on to another journal when Diogenes suddenly jolted to his feet and let out an angry growl at the door. He prowled forward, his ears pressed flat against his head.

"What is it, boy?" she asked.

He barked and clawed at the door so she got to her feet and pushed him back to poke her head outside, expecting to see a raccoon or opossum. But the front porch and field were empty. She stepped outside, staying under the awning, and tried to pick out whatever had upset Diogenes from the gray haze. The rain had lightened considerably but it still made the farm look desolate. She shook her head, he'd probably heard some animal that had since run off, but when she looked back up at the woods she noticed a _figure_ looming just in the tree-line. She rubbed her eyes, thinking they were playing tricks on her, but it remained.

"Hey!" she called out.

If it was someone with whom she was even passingly familiar they wouldn't be standing out in her field like a creep. She reached back inside and grabbed her ax from where it leaned against the wall just next to the door. Diogenes padded to her side, his ears fixed forward intently and body tense. Despite the fact he seemed to realize someone was out there as well, his presence quelled some of the rising terror in her chest.

"What the hell do you want?" she shouted.

The figure remained unnaturally still. Was someone fucking with her and put a statue or mannequin in the woods to freak her out? She stepped off the porch and into the rain, ignoring her rapidly soaking clothes, to get a better look but it was just deep enough in the shadows that she still really couldn't tell what it was.

"What do you think, boy?" she asked.

He let out a sharp huff and remained fixed forward. She picked up a rock and contemplated throwing it. Sure she'd look like an asshole if it was just a person standing out there, but so did they for lurking around like that. She wound up and heaved the rock like a shot put. Her pulse pounded in her head as it sailed through the air, taking forever to reach its target. The rock bounced off a tree branch, shifting the shadows and dispelling the figure. She let out a deep sigh, slightly ashamed of her jumpiness but more relieved that it was nothing.

"I guess I'm losing my mind," she said.

Diogenes pressed against her leg and whined as she took one last look at the field. Then, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end despite the rain and she just _knew_ something was behind her. She tightened her grip on her ax and swallowed hard, trying to decide what she should do. There was no way a regular person managed to get behind her without her noticing and if it was Rasmodius she hoped he had a magic shield.

A ragged, stuttering breath came from just over her shoulder and her body acted on its own, spinning on her heel and swinging her ax as hard as she could. But like she'd tried to strike a metal wall the ax bounced off whatever it was and all the force shot back up her arms. When her vision resettled she was face to face with an absolutely macabre woman, her hair and skin so white they almost glowed in the gloom, and pitch black, sunken eyes that bored into her with a predatory glare. Her simple, gray dress was in shockingly good condition considering the disaster that was her body. Cecilia's breath caught in her throat as she realized the woman's flesh was rotting off of her, exposing decaying muscle and bone. But somehow the putrid smell of death was absent.

She snapped out of her stupor and started for a second swing of her ax but the woman flicked her wrist and it tore from her hands, bouncing well out of her reach.

"What the fuck," she demanded, her voice cracking. "Do you want?"

But the woman just continued her bleak, empty stare that made Cecilia's insides crawl.

"I said what the fuck do -"

But she didn't get to finish her sentence. The woman lurched forward at a supernatural speed and slammed her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her. Barely a few seconds passed before she was able to regain her bearings but somehow the woman was gone.

Cecilia couldn't move. Every muscle in her body felt as though it was made of stone. The primitive, instinct driven part of her mind screamed at her to move, do literally anything besides sit there in the open but the rational, higher level part was at a total loss. A horror movie level demon just got in her face and shoved her to the ground. Diogenes let out a high pitched whine, forcing her back into reality, and found the poor dog shaking and with his ears pressed back against his head. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed him by the collar before dashing back in the house. Once inside she collapsed to her knees, her breathing ragged.

She _had_ seen something the other day in the barn. The scream from weeks ago _wasn't_ a wild animal. There was a _presence_ on her farm and it seemed determined to fuck with her. Her brain sprinted at a mile a minute but only seemed to be able to produce one coherent thought.

 _What in Yoba's name am I supposed to do?!_

She needed to get off the farm. She didn't have to tell anyone about what just happened but she one hundred percent didn't want to be anywhere near her property. In a whirlwind of movement she grabbed her raincoat, put Diogenes on his leash and burst back out the door. She kept her eyes focused on the road to town, lest she attract the _things_ attention again, and plowed onward.

Despite the drizzle, people were still milling around the town center; Caroline and Jodi chatted beneath umbrellas, Evelyn plucked weeds from the flower beds, and Pierre hung a sale sign in his front window. She heaved out a sigh of relief, just being around other people seemed to bring her back to reality. The vibe in town just didn't seem right for something else to happen, it was just too warm and cozy for a ghoul to appear. Even Diogenes's mood improved, his ears perked up and he pulled against her whenever anything caught his eye.

But it wasn't until she reached the clinic that she realized she didn't have a purpose for being in town and with her track record of reclusiveness it would certainly attract attention if she just started shooting the breeze with whoever passed by. She glanced around, eyes flicking from building to building, trying to come up with any reason to be there until she settled on the saloon.  
 _No one is going to think you're weird for getting lunch._

Thankfully, Gus had set out dog bowl of clean water under the awning in front of the building and she tied Diogenes's leash to a nearby bike rack. He shook out his fur and flopped down onto the dry pavement, panting happily. She let out a deep exhale before walking inside, which was much the same as it had been when she'd played pool with Sam, Sebastian, and Alex but less bustling. There wasn't a crowd to shove her way through to get to the bar.

"Good to see you, Cecilia," Gus said. "Can I get you anything?"

"Spaghetti, please," she said, hoping that if she used as few words as possible no one would notice the wobble in her voice.

"Of course."

Gus vanished back into the kitchen giving Cecilia another moment to collect herself. Everyone else in the saloon seemed fine, no one else appeared to have just seen some sort of unholy nightmare. She was fine. She was _fine._ Until something moved in the peripheral of her vision and she half jolted out of her chair.

"Hey Cecilia, it's been a minute since I've seen you around," Leah said, sliding onto the barstool next to her.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she replied, trying to play off her sudden movement by slowly sitting back down.

"Don't worry about it, I go off the radar for weeks if I get really into a project," she said.

Cecilia swallowed hard. "Good to hear I'm not the only one."

"I think a lot of us who moved here recently have that in common," she said.

"Who else isn't from here?"

"Besides you and me, Elliott, Harvey, and Shane all moved out here within the past few years. Everyone else is either a local or moved here as a kid," she said.

Just then, Gus returned with a heaping plate of spaghetti and a bowl of salad and set them before the two women. Cecilia hadn't been hungry in the slightest - her stomach twisted into a knot too tight for food - until the scent of the marinara sauce hit her and triggered a wave of ravenous hunger. They wordlessly dug in, Leah evidently feeling the same way. But several bites in an image of the ghoul-woman forced itself to the forefront of her mind and she choked on the spaghetti, launching her into a coughing fit.

"You okay?" Leah asked.

She pounded her chest and tried to stifle the coughing. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good."

How the hell was she supposed to get on with normal life knowing that _thing_ was around? She'd be checking over her shoulder constantly, wondering how far it was willing to take this conflict. If it was determined to hurt or kill her, why hadn't it? She wasn't in a horror movie, there weren't ninety minutes of runtime to fill. Maybe she wanted something from her like the junimos.

That was really the last thing she needed, more supernatural nonsense. She would take nearly anything over more unpredictable spirits and magic.

"Hey, when did you say the Flower Dance was?" she asked.

"The twenty fourth of this month. Why, are you thinking about going?"

She twirled some noodles around her fork, contemplating. "Yeah, I think I will."

"That's great!" Leah exclaimed. "It's pretty formal so wear something nice."

"Do you think Lewis is going to make me do the dance?" she asked.

"Nah, you're new and he was friends with your grandfather, he'll go easy on you this year," she said before taking another bite.

"You're making me nervous for next year," Cecilia replied, managing a grin.

"You should be," Leah said, jabbing at her with her fork. "Lewis will be on your case for weeks to make sure you're ready."

She knew the woman had really messed with her head when dealing with Lewis and a mandatory dance sounded preferable.

AN: I know this is short but I felt it needed to be its own chapter, I hope it's alright. I'm nearly done with chapter eight so that should be coming shortly. I'm not very experienced with writing horror so I'm at least hoping to convey how freaked out Cecilia is.

Thank you so much for reading, any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Also thank you so much for the comments! I'm very grateful to everyone who took the time to write something!


	8. Blossom

Chapter 8 - Blossom

The mornings were practically steaming this late in the spring, the air so muggy that even the light work of picking tulips left her covered in sweat. As she filled her wicker basket the sun began to stain the sky with light blues and oranges and Diogenes sprinted around like a maniac, bounding through a large patch of tall grass she had yet to deal with. Actually harvesting the fruits of her labor made it easier to put the farm's previous state under her grandfather out of her mind. It almost didn't matter, she just felt profoundly calm. Things were working out and she didn't have anyone breathing down her neck.

Well, no one was _breathing_ down her neck. Just lurking and presumably not carrying out any bodily functions necessary for life. She stood up straight and scanned the farm trying to pick out anything unusual. But she saw nothing and Diogenes continued to act as normal so she returned to her work, forcing the image out of her mind.

Once her basket was full she went back inside and took a shower, leaving Diogenes to run wild for the time being. When she'd made her mad dash out of the city she'd left behind the few dresses she owned - not that she would have been inclined to wear them anyway - so she chose her fancy, white blouse with lace detailing on the upper chest and shoulders, hoping it would blend in. While digging her plum colored chino pants out of her dresser she tried to wrap her head around the concept of the dance. Who did this kind of stuff anymore? It was downright archaic. She shook her head, she'd put herself in a bad mood if she convinced herself it was stupid. Besides, she didn't have to dance.

She slipped on a pair of brown loafers, picked up her basket and walked back outside. Despite the fact she knew most of the people in the valley actually left their doors unlocked she hadn't quite reached that level of comfort and locked up her house. As she started south across the field Diogenes raced up to her.

"You going to be alright by yourself?" she asked.

He barked and spun in a circle.

"Okay, don't get into too much trouble," she said, scratching his ears.

He bounded off again and she continued towards the Cindersap Forest. The directions Leah had given her were vague and to the effect of "south past the tower, you can't miss it." But the woods seemed much the same if not a deeper, more summery shade of green. The foliage was nearly filled out, the leaves almost grown to full size and blocking most of her view.

After passing Rasmodius's tower she found brightly colored ribbon lining a path by the cliffs, directing her on to the west. She followed along, getting the feeling she was walking into a lion's den. Probably something to do with the fact she was born and raised in the city and this was a small town gathering where everyone knew each other and she had done a piss poor job of integrating herself thus far. When she emerged from the trees she was confronted with more flowers in one place than she had ever seen in her entire life. Garland, made entirely of blossoms, fenced off the clearing and hung off every available surface. Large, elaborate arrangements placed on barrels dotted the area and the tables overflowed with bouquets and food. Her little basket of tulips seemed paltry all the sudden.

"Good to see you could make it, Cecilia," Pierre said from behind his stall by the entrance.

"Yeah, seemed like a good reason to get off the farm," she replied.

"That it is. It's also a good chance to do some business," he said.

She walked up to his stand, bracing herself to haggle with him. "What did you have in mind?"

"I'll pay you thirty five gold for each of your tulips," he said, gesturing to her basket.

"Forty two a piece," she said.

She knew he wouldn't go that high, but she certainly wasn't going to lowball her flowers.

"Thirty seven," he countered.

She crossed her arms and let her face go completely neutral. "Forty."

Pierre waffled, pursing his lips. She maintained her indifferent expression, he didn't have a lot of options if he wanted tulips to sell.

"Deal," he said.

They shook hands and he traded her twelve hundred gold for her whole haul of flowers. She thanked him and turned back to the festival, deciding it had been a worthwhile venture to come regardless of what else happened.

"Oh my gosh, Cecilia, I'm so jealous you get to wear pants," Abigail declared.

She turned to find her - wearing a knee length, white dress dotted with dark purple flowers - standing with Sam and Sebastian. Their sky blue suits were a shocking change from their usual attire, Sebastian was almost unrecognizable if not for the fact no one else in town had hair as dark as his.

"I don't get to dance though," she said, completely fine with that fact.

"You also don't have to wear this nightmare!" Abigail exclaimed, holding out the skirt of her dress. "It wouldn't have been as bad if it was black or purple but nooooo, mom said it _had_ to be white."

"You knew it had to be white, Abby," Sebastian said. "It is the _tradition."_

"Well it's stupid," she huffed.

"Have you never been to one of these before?" she asked.

"No, this is my first. You have to be at least eighteen and single," she replied.

Cecilia nearly did a double take. "You're only eighteen?"

"Yeah, why?" Abigail asked.

"Nothing, I'm just really bad at guessing ages apparently," she said, shaking her head.

She hadn't really had an idea of how old Abigail was but nearly ten years younger than her was not it. But now that she really paid attention, Sebastian and Sam also had that 'not quite grown into their facial features yet' look. On top of which Sam had gone white as a sheet and adopted a thousand yard stare.

"You look like you're about to pass out, are you alright?" she asked him.

Sam just shook his head, getting paler by the second.

"He's afraid to ask Penny to dance," Sebastian explained.

Cecilia nodded sagely. "Ah. That'd do it."

"He was supposed to ask her last week but he chickened out," Sebastian said.

"Don't you give me shit!" Sam exclaimed, snapping out of his stupor. "You had it easy! Abigail asked you!"

Sebastian just shrugged.

"Might as well just rip the bandage off," she said. "Worst she can say is no."

Sam groaned and dragged his hands down his face. "So are you going to ask Alex to dance, then?" he asked in a teasing tone, clearly trying to shift the embarrassment onto her.

She scoffed. "What makes you think I'd do that?"

"I heard he helped you out on the farm the other day," he countered.

"And that's grounds for asking him to dance?"

"You don't hang out with anyone else, so he must be special," he countered.

"Come on Sam. Do you really think Cecilia of all people would want to dance with _Alex_?" Sebastian asked.

"You never know," Sam replied, shrugging.

Cecilia glanced across the field at Alex who was talking to Haley. He wore a blue suit in the same tone as the other men but with a sleek, sports jacket cut.

She had on a floaty, white dress made at least half of tulle and dotted with delicate, pastel flowers. Her lightly tanned skin glowed and her gold hair, also ornamented with blossoms, seemed like a halo around her head. No one was competing with her for Alex's attention anyway.

"Hey, Cecilia!" someone called out.

She turned to find Leah, wearing a white, linen dress embellished with wildflowers and ivy, waving at her. While Haley's dress looked like it came straight off the runway Leah's made her look like some sort of forest elf. Next to her stood Elliott in one of the light blue suits all the bachelors wore. Cecilia bid farewell to Abigail, Sebastian, and Sam to mingle with the other group.

"Glad to see you made it," Leah said.

"Me too, I think I'm in need of a day off," she said.

"Getting enough rest can definitely make you more productive in the long run," Elliott added.

Cecilia felt her nerves ease, they weren't going to call her bluff that she wanted to be off the farm because some supernatural being was tormenting her. She was just paranoid.

"Sounds like you're talking from experience," she said.

Leah chuckled and Elliott looked away sheepishly.

"You could say that," he said. "I have been known to lose track of time while absorbed in my work."

"You're a writer, right?" she asked.

"That is correct," he said.

"A novelist? Or are you more of a poet?"

"Not quite a novelist yet, I am still working on my first book," he said.

Cecilia pushed out a breath. "Everyone told me _I_ was brave moving out here. But an artist and a writer? You two are the ballsy ones."

Leah and Elliott laughed but before they could continue talking Lewis stepped into the middle of the field.

"Alright, may I have everyone's attention please?" He announced.

Everyone gathered around him in the center of the field, some dragging their feet more than others.

"With everyone here we will go ahead and get the dance underway. If I could have all of the participants in the middle please," he said.

Cecilia cleared out of the way with the rest of the non-dancers while the bachelors formed a line across from the bachelorettes, most looking uncomfortable and rigid. Sebastian and Shane looked incensed that they were there but Haley beamed. Standing across from her, Alex looked fairly calm but she was interested to see how he would handle the dance.

The music picked up in a slow but chipper tune and they started in a dance that looked absolutely medieval. The pairs moved towards each other in slow, deliberate steps before meeting in the middle and joining hands. They hopped in synchronization to the music before pausing so all the men could spin once, followed by the women. Sam missed the next step, forcing him and Penny to scramble to catch up, fortunately she just giggled at his fumble.

The music and dancers slowed to a stop and the spectators applauded, Cecilia included. It hadn't been what she imagined but she was honestly impressed, it never would have happened in the city. With the main event over, the crowd migrated towards the tables of food and she followed along feeling awkward and especially like an outsider. That was, until Gus appeared next to her and clapped her on the shoulder.

"Good to see you, Cecilia," he said with a jovial smile. "Please help yourself."

For a split second she thought he read her mind, but she'd probably been wearing the thought all over her face.

"I will, thank you," she said.

"I just had to be sure," he said. "You Reeds are an independent lot."

Cecilia could only chuckle in response, not sure what answer to give. But Gus seemed satisfied and moved on to talk to Robin and Demetrius. When the crowd around the tables died down she made her way over with a paper plate. The rich, conflicting aroma's were overwhelming to her senses that had grown used to eating nothing but fish and foraged plants, so she stuck to roast chicken and a baked potato. She worked her way to the next table and was confronted with an overwhelming amount of liquor.

Picking up a tumbler glass and rolling it between her hands, she tried to decide what sounded appealing at a dance in the middle of the woods. In the middle of her indecision Shane walked up to the table and poured himself a glass of gin. She picked up a bottle of whiskey of a brand she recognized but Shane cut in before she could pour any.

"You should try Gus's whiskey, it's way better than that."

"Gus makes whiskey?" She asked.

He grabbed a label-less bottle and poured some in her glass. "Yeah, if you can eat or drink it he can make it."

She took a sip and warm, cedary flavor filled her mouth. "Wow, you're right."

He shrugged before turning to watch the crowd. She'd expected him to leave, not taking him for someone who would hang out with someone he hadn't really talked to before, but he stood there with her. She didn't know what to make of it.

"This has been quite the spectacle," she said.

"That's a polite way to put it," he grumbled.

She took another sip. "So how'd you get roped into dancing?"

"Jas asked me to," he replied, looking away.

"That's sweet," she said. "I'm sure she appreciates it."

"Yeah," he said.

They stood in silence for a moment before he gave her a nod and headed back towards Jas and Marnie. Cecilia glanced around, trying to decide which group she would feel the least like she was imposing on. Leah, Elliott, and Harvey's table - empty other than them and not a family - seemed the least like she would be interrupting family time at what turned out to be more akin to a holiday than just a dance.

"Do you guys mind if I sit with you?" she asked.

"Of course not, the more the merrier," Elliott said with a flourish of his arm to the open seat next to him.

Her nerves settled a little with the combination of alcohol and a group that she felt as though she could fit in with.

* * *

As the sun went down the older crowd started to retreat back to town. George and Evelyn went first and she gave Alex a kiss on the cheek and undoubtedly told him to be safe. Alex was all good natured smiles and nods about it. Jodi and Marnie took the kids, who were already yawning, home shortly thereafter. Cecilia helped Alex, Shane, Sam, and Sebastian haul the extra tables to Gus's flatbed, leaving only the stone picnic tables that looked like permanent fixtures to the clearing.

Once Caroline and Pierre left, Maru turned the speakers on and blasted a top forty pop song. Several small groups formed and Cecilia jumped on the opportunity to have a moment to herself. She dropped onto one of the picnic table benches and took a swig of her third drink.

She took far longer than just a moment and no one noticed she wasn't intermingling for quite a while. But she was fine to sit, work her way through her glass, and look at the stars she never could have hoped to see in the city. The whole pitch black sky glittered with bright, white stars while purples and blues stained the area around a dense cluster. Her head buzzed from the alcohol and she let out a deep sigh, feeling honestly relaxed for the moment.

Several songs later, Alex flopped down next to her - his usual athletic grace obliterated by beer - and snapped her out of her daze.

"Hey, Cecilia," Alex said, his words slurring.

"Hey, Alex," she replied.

"What's up?"

"Not much, just enjoying the view," she replied, pointing at the sky.

He took a long swig of his beer before gesturing to himself. "While this view is right here?"

 _Good grief, this guy._

"Are you even old enough to be drinking?" she asked.

"I mean, twenty, twenty-one? Is there really that much of a difference?" he said, waving her off.

"You're only twenty?" she exclaimed. "You're a baby!"

"I'm not a baby!" he retorted indignantly.

"How could I not see it before? Look at that baby face!" she said.

He really didn't have a baby face at all, what with his square jawline, but she just couldn't resist tormenting him.

"Haley! Tell her I don't have a baby face!" he called out.

Haley looked over from her conversation with Emily at a neighboring table. "She's just teasing you Alex. Your face is fine."

"I'll be twenty-one in a month!"

Cecilia, Haley, and Emily broke into laughter. Alex groaned dramatically and slumped forward before hauling himself off the bench and staggered towards the group of Maru, Penny, Sam, Sebastian, and Abigail.

"You don't think I actually upset him, do you?" she asked Haley.

"He'll be fine," she said, waving her off. "For as big of an ego as he has, it bruises pretty easily."

Cecilia sighed and pushed herself to her feet. "I've been sitting here long enough, I'll make sure he's okay."

Her vision barely kept up with where she looked and it took focus to walk normally, she'd drunk a little more than she'd realized. Or she was turning into a lightweight after going nearly three months without drinking. But before she could reach the other group, Leah collided with her, latched onto her arm and then started to drag her the other way.

"Cecilia, Cecilia," she insisted, clearly having downed a few more drinks. "Elliott found some kind of mushroom and Harvey thinks you might know what kind it is."

"Aren't you the resident foraging expert?" she asked, trying to steady Leah who was swaying slightly.

"Yeah, but you're the farmer. You know aaalllll about plants and fungi," she replied, tugging on her to little avail.

"Alright, alright, let's see it."

Any thoughts of Alex dissipated from her mind as Leah pulled her across the field to the two men, Harvey crouched by the mushroom and Elliott standing over him.

Cecilia folded her arms over her chest and put on her best authoritative voice. "So what are we looking at?"

"This," Harvey said.

Cecilia leaned over his shoulder to see a large, vibrant purple mushroom growing just at the base of a tree. It looked fake, the spots were too white and the cap too purple for the normal range of colors found in nature. She reached down, poked it and found that it left a shimmery residue on her finger.

"It looks like a spotted cort, but it's too purple," she said. "I have no idea what that is."

"It is truly a mystery," Elliott said.

"I'll say," she replied.

She almost mentioned something about the wizard or the junimos and how the mushroom gave her a similar feeling but she wasn't quite drunk enough to spill those beans. At this point she shouldn't be surprised that there were strange things all through the valley. Harvey stood, dusted off his hands on his blue pants and they returned to the party to find that Emily had put on some strange, floaty, psychedelic music. It only lasted a few songs before Sebastian commandeered the speakers and put on some trendy sounding EDM number.

The afterparty, as Cecilia supposed it was, continued for another couple of hours with smatterings of dancing and a lot of drinking. She stuck with Harvey, Leah, and Elliott and surprisingly Shane, who gravitated to them after barely escaping Emily's antics of trying to get him to dance. At first she thought he was pounding liquor to smother the memory but it barely seemed to affect him and no one else mentioned his frankly alarming rate of consumption so maybe he was just known as a heavyweight.

At two in the morning everything started to wind down and, without any sort of formal announcement, everyone began to break down the remnants of the event. Maru, Haley, and Leah scoured the meadow for trash and Sam loaded the speakers into a wagon. Cecilia and Harvey cleared the tables of plastic cups and empty bottles and loaded the garbage bags into Shane's truck, which Penny was apparently driving as she hadn't been drinking. When the clearing looked like no one had ever been there, they began to meander back towards town.

Cecilia rubbed her eyes, trying to steel herself to go back to the farm. She needed to be as alert as possible in case any supernatural events had to happen the one night she went drinking. Movement in her peripherals made her jolt, already expecting shenanigans to start. Thankfully, it was just Alex which limited the shenanigans strictly to the realistic variety.

"Let me walk you home," he said.

"Oh no, I'll be fine. No need for you to make your walk longer," she replied.

The walk could take him well over an hour if he went through her property and it was almost three in the morning already. Not to mention that would open him up to a confrontation with the _woman._

"It's so dark though. What if a wild animal attacks you? Or those junimo things?"

"The junimos aren't going to attack me," she said. "They're pretty friendly."

"Oh so you're spending a lot of time with the junimos?" he said in a teasing tone.

She shrugged and started walking north. "Yep."

"Wait, what?" he demanded, scrambling after her.

"I've been by the community center a few times. They're pretty friendly, they just want vegetables and some other stuff," she said, keeping up her pace.

"They want vegetables? How much have you had to drink?" he asked, leaning in to get a closer look at her face.

"You think I'm delusional?" she challenged, but let her mouth quirk into a grin.

She could practically see the relief wash over him as he realized she wasn't actually mad.

"Nah, it just seems like more of Emily's thing, you know, little magic forest balls and all," he said.

"I'm trying to keep an open mind," she replied.

They continued on in silence for a good distance, making it most of the way through the Cindersap Forest before Cecilia started to feel nervous, like they were walking into a lion's den. Even with Alex beside her she wished she'd brought Diogenes along. She was still somewhat inebriated and every shifting shadow conjured up images of demons in her head. A phantom sensation of the creature shoving her ghosted across her body and she shuddered.

"You cold?" he asked.

"Oh no, just a chill."

But he was already taking his blue coat off and sliding it over her shoulders, like they were two teenagers walking back from prom. It felt so warm he could have pulled it straight from the dryer.

"Thank you," she said carefully.

"No problem, I've been dying to get out of that thing all night," he said, stretching his arms in his less restrictive white, button down shirt.

They continued on past Marnie's ranch and finally onto Night Owl Farm. Cecilia poured her willpower into focusing through the alcohol, trying to spot any lurking figures in the trees. But her eyes couldn't focus on the billowing trees and foliage so spotting a partially hidden silhouette was impossible.

"You're looking especially serious," he said.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm just trying to decide what project I'm dealing with next," she said.

He gave her a gentle push with his shoulder. "Just relax for a little bit. It can't be good for you to be tearing your hair out about the farm all the time."

She bristled. "I'm not tearing my hair out."

He held his hands up in surrender. "If you say so."

As they reached the front porch Diogenes burst from the trees and sprinted up to them, Alex intercepted him and gave him vigorous belly rubs. Cecilia sat down on the top step and once Diogenes calmed down, Alex joined her.  
"So, what'd you think of the dance?" he asked.

"It was fun," she said. "Definitely not something that would have happened in the city."

"You think you'll go to any of the other events?" he asked, looking away and out over the field of crops.

"Probably," she said.

"You should, next one is the luau at the beach."

They sat in silence for several moments, the farm feeling peaceful rather than hiding a demon somewhere in its shadows; she wasn't sure if it was because of all the whiskey or because someone else was there to break up the isolation. The crops undulated in the soft breeze and her mind rested for the moment. But at three in the morning her watch beeped, alerting them to the time.

"Well, thank you for walking me home," she said, getting to her feet.

"Of course," he said, standing as well.

Before she could stop him, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a crushing hug. The musky scent of his sweat mixed with sandalwood washed over her along with an astounding amount of body heat. Her brain seemed to be functioning as slow as her reflexes because she didn't have the wherewithal to do anything. Then, he started humming a very out of key rendition of the flower dance song and dragging her in a circle with him, swaying slightly back and forth.

"Hey, what's that dance that goes like this?" he asked before switching his tune the Blue Danube and trying to twirl them in a bigger circle.

"The waltz," she said stiffly.

It was honestly kind of endearing how little he cared about doing silly things like attempting to dance while shitfaced. Maybe it was childish, but he certainly was having fun. Then his hands were under her arms and he lifted her off the ground and spun her in the air. She was still pretty drunk so the sudden movement made everything spin violently around her. When he set her back down she stumbled and nearly toppled over, but Alex caught her in what was damn near a dip.

"I'd tell you to stop falling so much but I kinda like catching you," he said coyly.

Anything she had been about to say instantly died on her tongue and instead her drunken mind thought it appropriate to just gape at him. He gave her a crooked, smug grin and then pulled her upright and she stumbled again, but his arms were right there to keep her from tumbling off the porch.

 _Damn him and his athleticism._

She cleared her throat. "Well, I've clearly had too much to drink."

"Nah, you walked all the way back here, you're good."

She took a step back, pointedly putting space between them and Alex didn't push it beyond putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I'm glad you made it to the dance," he said. " I should probably let you get some sleep though. I get the feeling you'll be up in a few hours pulling weeds."

As he stepped off the porch he let his hand slide down her arm. She lingered, watching until he crossed the edge of her property. Just as he made it to the road he turned and waved to her. She jolted and had to make herself wave back rather than just stand there like an idiot.

"See you later," she heard herself call out.

His face lit up with a huge smile. "Yeah!

He disappeared into the night with new vigor in his step. Once he was out of sight exhaustion hit her like a sack of bricks and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, so she called for Diogenes and they went inside. She stripped out of her shoes and pants immediately but when she went to take off her top she found she was still wearing his coat.

* * *

AN: I've had chunks of this chapter written for such a long time, it's kinda relieving to get it out.

An aside, I am a total baby about the taste of alcohol and have to smother it with juice/sugar so I have no appreciation for/idea what good whiskey tastes like haha. I had to google how to describe whiskey flavors so please go easy on me.

Thank you so much for reading, any feedback is greatly appreciated.


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